Atlanta — April 17, 2002

The University System of Georgia’s spring enrollment is following the record- setting pace established this past fall - hitting the highest-level spring enrollment ever.

The System’s Spring 2002 Semester Enrollment Report reflected a headcount enrollment of 211,918, up 6.4 percent over last year’s enrollment of 199,083.

In addition to setting a record, the increased spring enrollment continues the trend line of the University System’s recovery from the enrollment and credit-hour declines resulting from the 1998 semester conversion. The System also recorded a considerable spike in its full-time equivalent enrollment (FTE), which jumped 7.6 percent from spring 2001 to spring 2002. The FTE enrollment of 159,688 students represents the largest numeric and percentage increase for a spring term since 1980.

“This is great news for Georgia and the System,” said Chancellor Thomas C. Meredith, in his monthly report to the Board of Regents. “The University System’s primary funding allocation is driven by enrollment patterns, in particular the number of credit hours students take. The significant increases in both of these enrollment numbers bodes well for our formula funding in future years.”

The record spring enrollment follows on the System’s record-high fall 2001 enrollment of 217,546 students. Historically, spring enrollments are lower than fall enrollments. The dip from fall 2001 to spring 2002 was only 2.6 percent and the decline in EFT enrollment only 2.9 percent - the smallest decline in ten years.

Headcount enrollment from spring 2001 to spring 2002 increased:

• 5.8 percent at the four research universities;
• 3.8 percent at the two regional universities (Georgia Southern University and Valdosta State University);
• 4.5 percent at the state universities;
• 12 percent at the state colleges (Dalton State and Macon State College); and
• 11.5 percent at the two-year colleges.

The full 2002 Spring Semester Enrollment Report will be made available on the University System of Georgia web site: http://www.usg.edu/sra/students/enroll/.

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