Combined enrollment by headcount across all ΒιΆΉ΄«Γ½ locations for fall 2022 is 21,942, according to the annual data released today by the Kansas Board of Regents (KBOR).
For the Wichita State main campus, the numbers represent an increase of 5.1% in fall student headcount from 16,097 in 2021 to 16,921 in 2022. Thatβs the largest number of students choosing to enroll at Wichita State since 1989.
At ΒιΆΉ΄«Γ½ Tech, student headcount increased 3.9% from 4,834 last year to 5,021 this year β ΒιΆΉ΄«Γ½ Techβs highest fall semester headcount ever.
βSince the affiliation in 2018, ΒιΆΉ΄«Γ½ and ΒιΆΉ΄«Γ½ Tech have worked as one to provide an affordable and accessible education and to create a growing talent pipeline for our community,β says ΒιΆΉ΄«Γ½ President Rick Muma. βEven with the challenges brought on by the pandemic and the economy, ΒιΆΉ΄«Γ½ continues to make a difference in the lives of an increasing number of students and their families.β
ΒιΆΉ΄«Γ½ highlights
- KBORβs full-time equivalency (FTE) enrollment at Wichita State stands at 11,784, up 4.4% from 2021.
- Credit hours at Wichita State are 168,526, up 3.4% from last year. Thatβs the highest number of student credit hours in the universityβs 126-year history.
- 40.9% increase in international students, originating from more than 100 countries.
- Continued growth in first-generation undergraduate freshmen, bringing the overall first-generation percent to 47% among freshmen.
- 25.2% increase in graduate students, the highest in Wichita State history.
- 16% of undergraduate students now identify as Hispanic, which qualifies Wichita State as an Emerging Hispanic Serving Institution.
- 9.6% increase in transfer students, which points toward an additional year β beyond the 11-years running β of Kansas transfer students choosing Wichita State as their No. 1 destination.
ΒιΆΉ΄«Γ½ Tech highlights
- FTE at ΒιΆΉ΄«Γ½ Tech is 2,858 this fall, up 5.0% from last year.
- Credit hours at ΒιΆΉ΄«Γ½ Tech are 42,876, up 5% from 2021.
- 29.6% growth in headcount for ΒιΆΉ΄«Γ½ Tech Information Technology program, making it the second largest technical program at ΒιΆΉ΄«Γ½ Tech.
- 2,397 high school students enrolled, the highest fall head count for high school students.
- 33.1% increase in recent high school graduate enrollment over last year, returning ΒιΆΉ΄«Γ½ Tech to pre-pandemic numbers.
- Hispanic population increased to 23.2% of total adult population, nearly a 3% increase over last year.
Either way you look at it, more students are choosing the many opportunities provided by ΒιΆΉ΄«Γ½ to help prepare them for the future. Itβs yet another sign that the university is forging ahead in its efforts to drive prosperity for our region and continue to improve the lives of students and families while meeting workforce needs.
"When ΒιΆΉ΄«Γ½ and ΒιΆΉ΄«Γ½ Tech work together with the common purpose to create opportunities for our students and enhance the region's economy by ensuring that employers have access to a talent pipeline with the education and knowledge to succeed, positive things happen," said Dr. Sheree Utash, president of ΒιΆΉ΄«Γ½ Tech. "Our business and industry benefit, our institutions benefit and, most importantly, our students benefit. Our affiliation was created upon the success of these three groups, and what we see now are the benefits of a strong partnership working in sync toward a common goal."
Several programs at Wichita State and ΒιΆΉ΄«Γ½ Tech have contributed to the enrollment growth, opening new pathways for students and further fueling the talent pipeline.
Some of those programs include:
ΒιΆΉ΄«Γ½
- Master of Business Analytics
- Master of Human Resource Management
- Master of Data Science
- Bachelor of Cybersecurity
- Master of Counseling
- Bachelor of Applied Arts in Media Arts
ΒιΆΉ΄«Γ½ Tech
- Culinary Arts
- Digital Marketing
- Professional Pilot
- Alternative Fuel Maintenance & Advanced Electronics
- Unmanned Aircraft Systems (Drone)
- Registered Nurse
- Cloud Computing
The Get-to-WERX program, a collaboration between ΒιΆΉ΄«Γ½, ΒιΆΉ΄«Γ½ Tech and NIAR WERX, had its first fall start with 24 students. Students in this program are dual enrolled in ΒιΆΉ΄«Γ½ Techβs Aviation Maintenance program and Organizational Leadership and Learning courses at ΒιΆΉ΄«Γ½.
βAligned to our priority of providing an impactful, affordable and accessible education, the NIAR WERX program is a wonderful example of a top-notch paid applied learning experience for our students to gain on-the-job experience while completing their degrees at ΒιΆΉ΄«Γ½ and ΒιΆΉ΄«Γ½ Tech,β says Shirley Lefever, ΒιΆΉ΄«Γ½ executive vice president and provost.
ΒιΆΉ΄«Γ½ is Kansas' only urban public research university, enrolling more than 16,000 students on its main campus and 9,000 students on its ΒιΆΉ΄«Γ½ Tech campuses from every state in the U.S. and more than 100 countries. Wichita State and ΒιΆΉ΄«Γ½ Tech are recognized for being student centered and innovation driven.
Located in the largest city in the state with one of the highest concentrations in the United States of jobs involving science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), ΒιΆΉ΄«Γ½ provides uniquely distinctive and innovative pathways of applied learning, applied research and career opportunities for all of our students.
The Innovation Campus, which is a physical extension of the ΒιΆΉ΄«Γ½ main campus, is one of the nationβs largest and fastest-growing research/innovation parks, encompassing over 120 acres and is home to a number of global companies and organizations.
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