September 05, 2016
Jasmine Nelson
After a crowded move-in day on Aug. 16, the campus is now hosting the highest numbers of freshman students in UCCS history.
According to Chris Beiswanger, director of Student Recruitment and Admissions Counseling, 2,072 freshmen are enrolled on campus for the fall 2016 semester.
Since fall 2015, the number of first-year students has grown by about 400, a 3.5 percent increase since 2015, but official number of students enrolled this fall will not be released until the census date, Sept. 8.
This is the largest freshman class to date, according to Ralph Giese, director of Residence Life and Housing.
“We’ve seen some phenomenal growth. We are pretty much at capacity in housing even with opening a new building,” said Giese.
Housing options for students are limited this year because of the high growth rate. There are a total of 1,650 beds available, but the majority of these are going to first-year students, according to Giese.
“We are working with no-shows and working through waitlists to satisfy as many folks as we can.”
The UCCS student body is not just growing because of more admissions, according to Beiswanger.
“It’s not simply that we’re admitting more freshmen; we just have more freshmen applying, so it’s our marketing and outreach and recruitment efforts that have really increased,” said Beiswanger.
“At the same time we can promote all we want, but when prospective students come here, they’re coming here because they see the same thing that the current students see and enjoy about the university.”
Since its foundation in 1965, UCCS has expanded rapidly with the addition of more academic buildings, more housing options and larger departments.
“Many students will attest that they feel like they have a little more say about what goes on around here and the direction of the university,” Beiswanger said.