Enrollment Nears 10,000

September 13, 2016

UT Tyler Office of Marketing and Communications

UT Tyler Enrollment Nears 10,000 Students, 12 Percent Increase

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September 13, 2016

Media Contact:  Hannah Buchanan
Editor/Writer–Strategic Communications & Media Relations
Marketing and Communications
The University of Texas at Tyler
903.539.7196 (cell)

For the fifth consecutive year, The University of Texas at Tyler is reporting a record enrollment increase, this time bringing the headcount to almost 10,000 students this fall, President Rodney H. Mabry announced.

The 2016 preliminary fall headcount is 9,889, a 12 percent increase over the 2015 preliminary enrollment.

"This is another amazing milestone in UT Tyler's history. We have experienced unprecedented growth over the past few years. Through the excellent work of our faculty and staff, we are meeting the educational needs of students not only from this region, but from around the nation and the world," President Mabry said.

Mabry, who plans to retire in December, has been a driving force behind the growth of the university. His vision provided the framework for this explosion in enrollment.

During his tenure, Mabry has overseen the progression of UT Tyler from the up-and-coming upper-level graduate institution to the notable four-year university that the Chronicle of Higher Education Almanac ranks 16th in the nation for fastest total enrollment growth among public master's level universities. The measurement is based on enrollment from 2004-2014, during which UT Tyler's enrollment increased by 52 percent.

"I'm grateful to have been a source of support for those faculty and staff who dreamed of building UT Tyler into an exceptional higher education institution with state-of-the-art new facilities, nationally-ranked academic programs and extraordinary student-life experiences," Mabry said. "Through the hard work of the entire university community, we have made those dreams a reality."

UT Tyler shows increases in undergraduate and graduate enrollment, new and returning students.

New sophomore enrollment is up 28 percent, which indicates a trend of students to transfer earlier than usual.

"We have intensified our recruitment emphasis within the East Texas area and expanded efforts in Houston for our campus there. Other contributing factors to our overall increase are the new financial aid packages we've developed, such as our Patriot Promise and alternative loans," said Sarah Bowdin, assistant vice president for enrollment management.

The UT Tyler Graduate School shows an eight percent increase in new and returning students.

"Our online programs are very beneficial to graduate students, who enjoy the flexibility of scheduling. In order to meet those students where they are, we continue to expand our online opportunities," Dr. Alecia Wolf, assistant dean of The Graduate School, said.

One of the 14 campuses of the UT System, UT Tyler features excellence in teaching, research, artistic performance and community service. More than 80 undergraduate and graduate degrees are available at UT Tyler, which has an enrollment of almost 10,000 high-ability students. UT Tyler offers courses at its campuses in Tyler, Longview and Palestine as well as a location in Houston.