HOUGHTON – Fall

2015 enrollment at Michigan Technological University is 7,238, the highest the

school has seen in more than 30 years. Female enrollment is at a record high,

with women making up 26.9 percent of the student body. Female enrollment in the

College of Engineering rose to 26.7 percent, and the number of women first-year

students is at an all-time high.

Michigan

Tech, like public universities across Michigan, submitted its official fall

enrollment figures to the state last night.

University

officials believe that Tech’s increasing enrollment reflects the school’s high

job placement rate, the $62,800 median starting salaries earned by graduates

and a $66,100 return on investment over 20 years.

Retention High

First

to second year retention – the number of first year students who return for

their second year – reached a record 87 percent. First to second year retention

is a major predictor of student success

“We

have really focused on making student success our highest priority for the past

decade or so,” said Les Cook, vice president for student affairs and

advancement. “I think the numbers are a great indicator of progress. They

reflect the extent of our full commitment to students.”

Cook credited the

record retention rate to the development of the Wahtera Center for Student

Success, which provides success skills workshops, mentoring, tutoring and peer

counseling, the Jackson Center for Teaching and Learning, the Opie Information

Learning Commons and increased scholarship support.All are programs

funded by philanthropic gifts, he pointed out.

Record Number of Graduate Students

Michigan

Tech’s Graduate School also reported record growth for the seventh year in a

row. Graduate enrollment now stands at 1,521, the largest number of graduate

students in the University’s history. Driving the growth are 374 new

master’s degree students, a 23 percent increase over last year.

“This is the largest

class of first-time graduate students in Michigan Tech’s history,” said Provost

Jackie Huntoon, former dean of the Graduate School. “We have never enrolled

this many new graduate students in one semester. As always, this

success is due to the hard work of faculty and staff who are committed to

providing the best possible education for all of our students.”

New first-year

undergraduate enrollment rose 6.6 percent this year, with twice as many new students

seeking business degrees.Electrical engineering, mechanical

engineering technology and Tech’s health sciences programs in biological

sciences,biomedical engineering, and kinesiology and

integrative physiology also saw significant growth.

Freshman

ACT scores remain among the highest the school has ever seen at 26.7.

Student diversity,

including international students, now stands at 23 percent, with domestic

diversity at 8.2 percent, up from 7 percent last year.

 

Michigan Technological

University (www.mtu.edu) is a leading public research university developing new

technologies and preparing students to create the future for a prosperous and

sustainable world. Michigan Tech offers more than 130 undergraduate and

graduate degree programs in engineering; forest resources; computing;

technology; business; economics; natural, physical and environmental sciences;

arts; humanities; and social sciences.