Enrollment has been steady this year for the University of Texas Permian Basin.
Its overall enrollment for 2024 is 7,372, which is within 1 percent of its annual enrollment last year. UTPB keeps track of its enrollment on an annual basis.
“Our enrollment increased in 2023 and we are pleased with our ability to maintain that momentum into 2024. Fall 2024 enrollment is 5,560,” information from the university said.
Undergraduate enrollment is currently at 4,159 students. UPTB saw significant growth in new freshmen this fall, bringing them close to their all-time high of two years ago.
Its new freshman class has 599 students, a 4.4 percent increase from last fall.
A big part of the success can be attributed to the new Direct Admissions program, particularly with a boost from Midland ISD.
Spurlock said they got a great response from Ector County ISD as well, but they have always had a greater market share with ECISD than Midland ISD.
UTPB launched Direct Admissions last spring as a pilot program and plans are to expand to districts outside of Odessa and Midland.
“We have these fantastic partnerships with school districts where they share student data with student achievement data so we know how they’ve done in school, so that we’re in a position to make a direct offer of admission to them based on their performance in high school,” Senior Vice President for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management Becky Spurlock said.
“What’s particularly exciting about that is there are lots of students out there who might think that they can’t get into college, or might be thinking that college isn’t an option for them, and when they realize that they’ve already done well enough in high school to get an offer of admission to college, it opens up the idea of college to them,” Spurlock said.
When they are offered admission, UTPB also tells them if they’ve qualified for a merit scholarship.
“… For many students, they’ll not only get an offer of admission, they’ll get a preliminary scholarship offer. What makes direct admissions so amazing at UTPB is it …marries accessibility and affordability, because we’re in such a unique position with our with our price and with our Falcon Free program, that it really paves the way to choosing college and with a lot less stress and extra steps on the part of students and busy families,” she added.
UTPB saw increased admissions from MISD largely due to Direct Admission.
“We think that was an important partnership to get to make UTPB more of an option for students from Midland. This year, we’re launching direct admissions this semester, so we’ll be months and months earlier than we were last year. I’m really excited to see what happens,” Spurlock said.
UTPB has 203 students in post-baccalaureate enrollment which provide opportunities for people who have already completed a bachelor’s degree and are pursuing additional education for professional development, certifications or preparation for graduate degrees.
Graduate enrollment continues to grow with 1,195 students in master’s programs. That is a 9.8 percent increase over last fall, the information said.
More graduate students are enrolling full-time as its total graduate student credit hours increased by about 11 percent.
This is the fourth consecutive fall graduate enrollments have increased, including new and continuing students.
“We’re seeing encouraging signs with our continuing freshmen and sophomores, which has a positive impact on retention and overall student success,” the UTPB information says.
“By ensuring students return for their second year and beyond, UTPB can help students stay on track to complete their degrees on tie, which includes graduation rates and contributes to long-term student achievement,” it says.
UTPB has also added First-Year Seminar and the CliftonStrengths assessment.
Every first-year student will have a chance to take the CliftonStrengths assessment as part of their required First-Year Seminar course.
They expect to serve just under 600 first-year students through the initiative, which is aimed at developing leadership skills.
Annual enrollment starts in the fall, but there are two more semesters to go before they get the full picture. That will include students who come in the spring and summer.
“… I would say we’re steady,” Spurlock said.
Enrollment is made up of many different subpopulations such as first-time in college, transfer, post-baccalaureate, graduate and dual credit students.
Over the years, there have been shifts in those populations, however, continued incremental growth has been seen.
“… A couple of years ago, we saw a big increase in our first-time in college students. That was really exciting and and that has really continued to be steady. We saw a small increase this year, very close to our all-time high … what people think of as traditional college students continues to be a growing population for us,” Spurlock said.
Direct Admissions is part of that and there has been a lot of interest in graduate programs. She added that people are seeing the value of additional degrees and supporting their career goals.
Spring registration starts the first week of November and they offer eight-week classes as well which started enrolling Oct. 21.
