Published September 15, 2016
2016 Freshmen cross Bayou DeSiard during convocation.
The University of Louisiana Monroe is proud to announce that student enrollment has
grown, topping 9,000 students for the first time during Dr. Nick J. Bruno’s tenure
as president.
This comes on the heels of the latest U.S. News & World Report ranking, which included
ULM in its list of “Best National Universities.”
“We are incredibly excited to announce that, despite concerns of TOPS funding and
the flooding in southern Louisiana, our numbers have not just remained stable, but
have grown,” said Bruno. The total enrollment is 9,115 students, a rise of 261 students
from last year’s 8,854.
A large amount of growth was evident in higher student retention rates with an increase
of 58 percent to 66 percent in the first to third years. Bruno states, “We attribute
these higher retention rates to the dedication of our faculty and staff who have worked
hard to keep students engaged in and outside of the classroom.”
Another contributing factor Bruno notes is ULM’s success in attracting better-prepared
students. For 2016, the number of entering freshman with a score of 30 or higher on
the American College Testing (ACT) has increased by 29 percent. The university is
also seeing an increase in the number of students from other areas of the state, including
New Orleans.
eULM, the university’s online program for non-traditional students, also saw a five
percent increase from 1,167 students in 2015 to 1,225 students in 2016—the largest
enrollment since the program began.
Nationally, ULM’s student body is composed of 793 students from 48 states. And internationally,
331 students represent 50 different countries, with Nepal having the largest representation.
Another area of growth is in the university’s Honors Program, which is currently comprised
of nearly 200 students, making it the largest cohort in the program’s history.
“We have 70 incoming freshmen with an average ACT score of 30 and approximately 30
will graduate during the 2016-17 year. These are remarkable numbers and the program’s
momentum is something that we expect to sustain,” said Dr. Joshua Stockley, ULM associate
professor of political science.
These improvements indicate that the university's five-year strategic plan (2013-18)
is on track and that ULM should be recognized as one of the best-performing regional
universities in the south.
