San Angelo, TX – For the second consecutive fall semester, Angelo State University has set an all-time enrollment record with 7,084 undergraduate and graduate students entering the 2011 fall classes.

The 2011 enrollment total surpassed the previous record of 6,856 set last fall and marked the first time in ASU’s 83-year history that the university surpassed 7,000 students.

Since ASU joined the Texas Tech University System (TTUS) in the fall of 2007, enrollment has increased 13.5 percent.

As of the 20th class day, the official reporting date for enrollment figures, the overall 2011 fall enrollment was up 228 students, 3.3 percent over the 6,856 enrolled on the 20th class day of the fall of 2010.

Major factors in the record enrollment were a 16.5 percent increase in graduate enrollment and improved retention for students between the junior and senior years. The 817 graduate enrollment, up from 701 last fall, marked the fifth consecutive fall or spring semester in which the College of Graduate Studies has recorded a new enrollment high.

“Overall, our numbers are good, so the trend is still moving in the right direction as we seek 10,000 students by 2020,” said ASU President Joseph C. Rallo. “Our efforts in retention and recruiting graduate students have brought us solid results. We still face name recognition challenges in the population centers along the I-35 corridor, which has kept our freshman enrollment flat the last two years, but we are working on that. Even so, we are proud of our enrollment momentum since we joined the Texas Tech University System.”

TTUS Chancellor Kent Hance said, “Angelo State University’s record enrollment is an exciting accomplishment and further supports our commitment to the San Angelo region and to students seeking a first-class education. Thanks to the leadership of Dr. Rallo and his team, as well as the quality faculty and staff, we are on target to realize the institution’s 2020 strategic goals.”

Rallo noted the importance of enrollment growth for addressing some of the budget issues brought on by declining state appropriations in a slow economy.

“Enrollment growth,” said Rallo, “offers one answer to securing the resources we need to reach Angelo State’s programmatic goals. State funding formulas reward growth. Each additional student we enroll for 15 semester credit hours means an increase of approximately $13,000 on average to the university’s revenues.”

Hispanic enrollment increased to 27.1 percent of the student body, compared to 26.38 percent last fall at ASU, which has been designated a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) by the Department of Education. To receive the HSI designation, a university must have at least 25 percent undergraduate Hispanic enrollment.

Additionally, the semester credit hours taken by both graduate and undergraduate students were up 3.5 percent, totaling 87,555 for this fall, compared to 84,567 for last fall.