RICHARDSON, Texas (Sept. 8, 2005) — Fall enrollment at The University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) is up slightly — about 2 percent over last year — according to preliminary figures released yesterday. Although small, the increase sets a new enrollment record of 14,553 students, the largest ever reported in the university’s 36-year history.
Also a record is the average SAT score of incoming UTD freshman — at 1240, it is possibly the highest of any public university in the state.
The university’s enrollment is up by about 240 students over last fall, but that figure is likely to decrease in the coming weeks as some students drop classes. At the same time, there may be some additions as UTD, until tomorrow, accepts students from other institutions of higher learning who were displaced as a result of Hurricane Katrina. So far, the university has admitted 87 students affected by the storm.
The number of undergraduate students at the university grew 3.2 percent to 9,322 (64 percent of the total), while the number of graduate students remained virtually flat at 5,231. Of UTD’s seven schools, the School of Management remains the university’s largest with 4,398 students enrolled for the fall semester, an increase of nearly four percent over last year. The Schools of Behavioral and Brian Sciences (140), Arts and Humanities (168), Social Sciences (80) and Natural Sciences and Mathematics (67) also grew over last year, adding more than 450 students, collectively.
UTD’s preliminary enrollment numbers for fall 2005 show that the largest single group of minority students is Asian-American (about 17.5 percent of the total), followed by Hispanic-American (nearly eight percent of total enrollment) and African American (about 6.4 percent). International students make up about 13.3 percent of the total. The gender breakdown of the student body is about the same as last year — 54 percent male (7,859) and 46 percent female (6,694).
Longer-term growth trends reflect significant increases in UTD enrollment, with a nearly 33 percent increase over the last five years, or an addition of more than 3,600 students. UTD had a total of 10,945 students in the 2000-2001 school year.
UTD President Dr. David Daniel said that the continued, but more subdued, growth actually may have a salutary effect by allowing the university to catch up in terms of classroom and research buildings and other areas, such as housing and student life offerings.
“We are not surprised that enrollment stabilized this year compared to the previous five years of extremely robust growth,” Daniel said. “But that actually may be a good thing. It will allow us some much-needed breathing room to catch up and, we hope, add to the high-quality education and services currently afforded to our students.”
Daniel emphasized, however, that UTD’s enrollment outlook remains strong, and he pointed out that the quality of the university’s students, always high, seemed to get better every year.
“The SAT scores of UTD’s incoming freshman this year average 1240, which is the highest ever for UTD and is among the highest of any university in Texas. We are extremely proud that our freshman class continues to be among the best of the best.”
In order to accommodate its rapid growth, UTD has added several new facilities in recent years. In 2002, the university opened an additional 152,000-square-foot wing to its Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science. In 2003, the university added a new 203,000-square-foot building to house its School of Management and a 23,000-square-foot satellite facility on the Richardson campus of the Callier Center for Communication Disorders. And UTD’s $85-million Natural Science and Engineering Research Center, begun this spring on the north end of campus, is expected to be completed in December of 2006.
About UTD
The University of Texas at Dallas, located at the convergence of Richardson, Plano and Dallas in the heart of the complex of major multinational technology corporations known as the Telecom Corridor®, enrolls more than 14,500 students. The school’s freshman class traditionally stands at the forefront of Texas state universities in terms of average SAT scores. The university offers a broad assortment of bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs. For additional information about UTD, please visit the university’s web site at www.utdallas.edu.