WT report shows new numbers on fall enrollment

CANYON, Texas (KFDA) - A new report shows new numbers on fall enrollment at West Texas A&M University.

WT saw a slight decline to 9,061, which is down about 2 percent compared to last year’s fall enrollment, according to a WT press release. WT Gradual School also went down.

However, enrollment increased by more than 5 percent for sophomores and by 2 percent for juniors, and on-campus semester credit hours went up by more than 7 percent over 2022.

“Undergraduate enrollment is strong at WT, and those improvements in retention means a greater percentage of our students are going to earn their degree,” said Mike Knox, vice president for enrollment management. “And the increase in semester credit hours is positive news, because our state funding is directly tied to those hours.”

WT President Walter Wendler said he expects enrollment to continue to increase.

“The Texas A&M University System has frozen tuition and fees through the spring of 2025. And our recent announcement of no textbook costs for students starting in the fall of 2024 means that students being recruited now will see significant savings by choosing WT, and WT remains one of the best education values in the entire country,” Wendler said.

Officials said more than 47 percent of WT undergraduates are first-generation college students. More than 47 percent are racially and ethnically diverse, about 44 percent are Pell Grant-eligible, and 36 percent are online only.

Transfer students from other universities increased by 27 percent.

Here are some other parts of WT that saw an increase:

• The Department of Agricultural Sciences in the Paul Engler College of Agriculture and Natural Sciences rose over 2021′s historic high numbers with 1,131 students.
• The Engler College of Agriculture and Natural Sciences rose by 3 percent over 2022.
• The Department of Computer Information and Decision Management in the Engler College of Business went up by more than 14 percent over last year.
• The Department of Engineering and Computer Sciences rose nearly 7 percent.
• Department of Education and the Department of Psychology, Sociology and Social Work in the Terry B. Rogers College of Education and Social Sciences saw an increase.
• The Department of Communication in the Sybil B. Harrington College of Fine Arts and Humanities saw an increase.
• The Department of Nursing, the Department of Communication Disorders, and the Department of Sports and Exercise Sciences in the College of Nursing and Health Sciences saw an increase.

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