Nicholls enrollment has increased by 125 students, compared to Spring 2008, with freshmen and graduate students accounting for a large portion of the boost. Enrollment statistics show steady growth in the University’s enrollment numbers and the academic progress of freshmen students.

New-student enrollment increased by 16 percent and the retention rate for first time freshmen climbed to 86 percent.

“The increases in enrollment are especially encouraging in light of the record number of students at our Fall 2008 commencement,” Larry Howell, associate provost, said. “This proves Nicholls is becoming the institution of choice for the best and brightest students in the Bayou Region.”

University administrators attribute selective admissions as a factor in the steady growth in enrollment and retention at Nicholls.

“Valedictorian scholarships, for example, increased by 30 percent in Fall 2008 – and all of those students have been retained for the Spring 2009 semester,” Howell said.

The total enrollment at Nicholls for Spring 2009 is 6,429 students with enrollment increases in three of the five academic colleges and the John Folse Culinary Institute.

The largest enrollment increase was inside University College, which gained 100 students since last spring. The College of Education enrolled 24 more students. The College of Arts and Sciences had an increase of 21 students and John Folse Culinary Institute grew by 11 students.

While most academic units saw an increase in enrollment, two academic colleges enrolled fewer students. The College of Nursing and Allied Health enrolled 19 fewer students and the College of Business Administration had 12 fewer students enrolled compared to Spring 2008.

The enrollment of students from other states increased by 24 students with a total of 237 students attending Nicholls from 37 states. The states with the largest number of students enrolled at Nicholls include Texas and Mississippi, two states that border Louisiana.

International student enrollment increased by 38 students with a total of 161 students from 45 countries. The countries of Nepal, France and Vietnam had the largest number of students enrolled at Nicholls.

There was little change to the ethnic composition of the University. The ethnicity of a majority of students is white. Blacks compose the largest minority on campus, making up 18.5 percent of the student body. The remaining ethnic groups were in single digits.

(Elise Hotard)