New data from the Office of Budget and Planning depicts a sharp spike in total University enrollment following low first-day figures.
On Aug. 22, total University enrollment was tallied at 25,548 students for all undergraduate, graduate and online students, a 9.27 percent drop from first-day enrollment in 2015. The enrollment dip came after a number of tragedies affected the city in July and August.
Baton Rouge endured one of its most tumultuous summers on record this year, beginning with the officer-involved shooting death of Alton Sterling on July 5, followed closely by the deaths of three law enforcement officers July 17.
Historic flooding in mid-August displaced thousands, affecting approximately 20 percent of main campus employees in addition to a number of students, LSU President F. King Alexander said. The full influence of this summer’s events on student retention and enrollment has yet to be determined.
Enrollment numbers have largely rebounded. Between Aug. 22 and Sept. 9, total University enrollment increased to 31,414, though still down .36 percent, or 113 students, from fall 2015 figures. The decrease comes after the University extended the undergraduate registration deadline to Aug. 25 to accommodate students affected by the regional flooding.
While a significant improvement overall, enrollment numbers are still down from fall 2015 totals for half of the undergraduate schools and all graduate programs.
The graduate programs, each of which have an enrollment below 800 students, suffered the greatest blow. The E.J. Ourso College of Business lost the most graduate students with a decrease of 46, followed by the College of Agriculture with a net decrease of 35 students and the College of Engineering, which was down 29 students compared to fall 2015 enrollment.
Enrollment also fell in eight other senior colleges and among non-degree graduate students.
Enrollment varied more widely among the undergraduate programs. The College of Humanities and Social Sciences increased undergraduate enrollment by 154 students, a 5 percent net increase from fall 2015. The University Center for Freshman Year also increased its enrollment by 151 students, followed by the College of Engineering with 87 more undergraduates.
These programs are followed by the College of Business with 41 more students, the College of Music and Dramatic Arts with 14 and the College of the Coast and Environment with nine.
An equal number of undergraduate colleges and programs experienced enrollment declines compared to fall 2015.
The University Center for Advising and Counseling’s enrollment fell by 216 undergraduates, the College of Human Sciences and Education reported a decrease of 93 students and the College of Science declined by 89 undergraduates, according to the Office of Budget and Planning data.
Other colleges and programs that experienced losses were the College of Agriculture, the College of Art and Design and the Manship School of Mass Communication, with net losses of 64, 23 and 17 undergraduate students, respectively.
Even the incoming class, though accomplished, is reporting enrollment numbers below its 2015 counterpart. Despite being the University’s highest academic-achieving freshman class, with an average GPA of 3.4 and an ACT composite score of 25.7, the group is still 149 students smaller than the incoming class of fall 2015.
Despite overall losses, the University boasted its most diverse student body on record.
African-American and Hispanic student enrollment grew in all areas, including undergraduate, graduate and total enrollment. Total African-American and Hispanic student enrollment reached highs of 3,741 and 1,820, respectively.
Undergraduate enrollment among Asian students also increased to an all-time high of 1,099 students.
Alexander praised the University’s increased diversity in a statement released Wednesday.
“We are proud to welcome one of our most diverse student bodies ever to LSU,” Alexander said. “For three consecutive years now, we’ve been able to celebrate new records for the number of African-American and Hispanic graduates, and we expect to maintain that trajectory moving forward.”