Enrollment reaches 12,376 at South Dakota State University

The largest freshman class in history and a jump in graduate students have boosted fall 2009 enrollment at South Dakota State University to 12,376 students – the 10th consecutive record for enrollment at the state’s Morrill Act land-grant university.

The numbers, released this morning by the South Dakota Board of Regents, show a 3.2 percent increase in fall-semester headcount at SDSU. That total includes 2,135 new freshmen and a record 1,445 graduate students, up 8.3 percent from last year.

The enrollment numbers align with the University’s strategic goals, according to President David L. Chicoine.

“I am very pleased with this morning’s announcement. Enrollment at South Dakota State is right where it should be, particularly in three areas,” Chicoine said.

“The headcount of 12,376 students continues moving the University toward its comfort enrollment target, and that progress comes through outstanding efforts in recruiting new students, retaining undergraduate students from last year and attracting graduate students.”

More than 70 percent of the incoming first-year students graduated from high school with grade-point averages above 3.0, according to data from the Office of Admissions. Moreover, 47 percent of the new students scored 24 or higher on the ACT entrance examination.

“I remain impressed with the academic credentials of our new students. Average ACT scores among entering freshmen have risen steadily over the past decade. South Dakota State remains a university of choice,” Chicoine said.

“Finally, the 8.3 percent increase in graduate students validates the University’s efforts to build research capabilities and strengthen Ph.D. programs to drive technology-based economic development in South Dakota,” Chicoine said. “Faculty are able to secure grants and contracts when they have outstanding graduate assistants conducting research with them. This, in turn, enables faculty to attract more graduate students.”

The 3.2 percent increase in students at South Dakota State corresponds to a 3 percent increase in the full-time equivalency, a statistic that calculates an assumed full-time enrollment based on credit hours. The correlation shows continued growth among full-time students, according to Marysz Rames, vice president for Student Affairs.

“The FTE increase confirms that most students at South Dakota State are attending full-time and seeking degrees,” Rames said. “SDSU continues to attract high-achieving high school graduates.”

South Dakotans comprise 67 percent of the student body at SDSU.