WMU News

Most freshmen at WMU since 1989

Sept. 19, 1997

KALAMAZOO -- Western Michigan University has 4,647 freshman students this fall, the largest number since 1989 and among the largest freshman classes in the state. That's an increase of 122 freshmen over last year's total of 4,525 students, and the third year that this figure has increased from the previous year.

"This is an encouraging trend," said John Fraire, dean of admissions. "It means that prospective students continue to find WMU's strong combination of high quality and affordability to be attractive. In other words, WMU is perceived as a great value in the higher education marketplace."

The number of sophomore students is up by 6.2 percent to 4,364 students, reflecting both last year's large freshman class as well as an increase in the retention of students, Fraire said. The number of juniors enrolled rose to 4,820 students while the number of seniors, at 6,386 students, is virtually unchanged from last year.

At the graduate level, WMU has more students enrolled in doctoral programs than at any time in its history. A total of 508 students are pursuing doctoral degrees, an increase of 19 students or 3.9 percent over last year. This reflects increases in recent years in the number of doctoral programs WMU offers, which places WMU fourth in the state with 23 programs.

The number of master's degree students is unchanged at 5,380 students. Total enrollment for the fall semester that started Sept. 3 is 26,132 students, an increase over last year's total of 25,699 students.


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