The classrooms seem a little more full, the hallways seem a little more crowded and the campus bustles a little more than usual, but now statistics explain why.
Final enrollment figures for The University of Memphis show that 20,668 students enrolled this fall semester, an increase of 757 students from last year.
The highest enrollment at The U of M was around 22,000 in the early 80s.
Of the 20,668 students enrolled this fall, 15,928 are undergraduates and 4,740 are graduate students.
Many different statistical categories contributed to the increase, according to Bill Akey, assistant vice-provost for enrollment services.First-time freshman enrollment is at 2,062, an increase of nearly six percent over last fall.
Enrollment for this category topped 2,000 for the first time since 1988, according to statistics.
The Tennessee Education Lottery Scholarship played a significant role in the first-time freshman enrollment increase, according to Akey."Students who may have thought about going to college out of state were attracted to The University of Memphis by the lottery scholarship," Akey said.
The number of transfer students and the retention rate also contributed to the total enrollment increase, with the number of transfer students increasing by nine percent and the retention rate increasing by three percent.
The number of transfer students The U of M receives every year is not easy to predict, according to Akey.
"We cannot actively recruit students from other schools, so the increase in transfer students is difficult to explain or understand," Akey said.
The retention rate has climbed for the second year in a row.After state officials predicted a statewide enrollment increase in response to the Tennessee Education Lottery Scholarship this summer, many students raised concerns that The U of M would not be able to accommodate more students.
However, U of M officials said they believe The University is completely prepared for future enrollment increases.
"There's a range of students we can serve with the people we have in place," Akey said. "I think this institution has room to grow."Many U of M administrators said that they see the increase as a positive.
Only 19.6 percent of persons over the age of 25 in the state of Tennessee have attained a bachelor's degree or higher, according to statistics from the U.S. Census Bureau.That percentage earned Tennessee a ranking of 42nd in the nation for degree attainment.
We are aware of Tennessee's low ranking in educational attainment, Akey said.
"We know the economic advantages of higher education," Akey said. "And we want to enhance that."
