After six consecutive terms of double digit and record enrollment, Oregon State University - Cascades has posted a 16 percent increase in full time equivalent (FTE) enrollment*, the highest increase amongst Oregon State university campuses. The FTE increase reflects an 11 percent growth in the number of students taking classes this fall.
The campus is now home to a record 678 students, with an additional 169 students taking courses as freshmen and sophomores at Central Oregon Community College and admitted into degree programs through OSU-Cascades, for a full contingent of 847 students.
The growth isspread across academic programs. General Social Science, Psychology, Natural Resources, and Human Development and Family Science majors show the largest increases. Enrollment in the Business Administration, and Tourism and Outdoor Leadership programs has also increased.
Said OSU-Cascades Vice President Becky Johnson, We hope to sustain this growth as we build new academic programs like the recently launched Energy Engineering Management degree and Hospitality Management option. These are programs that meet the needs of Central Oregon and attract students from both within and outside the region.
The percentage of traditional students under age 25 remained about the same from the previous year. There was a 25 percent increase in 25 to 29 year old students and 20 percent growth among 30 to 50 year old students. Adult degree completers and transfer students increased 15 percent over 2009.
Thirty percent of OSU-Cascades students graduated from a Central Oregon high school, up from 25 percent last year.
* Full-time equivalence (FTE) measures the total credit-bearing activity of a campus. The definition varies depending on the level of the student. The full-time equivalent for an undergraduate is assumed to be 15 term credit hours (or 45 annual credit hours). For a master's and professional level students, the number is 12 credit hours (36 annual credit hours).