For the first time in four years, fall enrollment at Iowa State is up.

An increase of 226 students, or about 1 percent, from the fall semester of 1995, brings the total number of students to 24,899 for this semester.

ISU enrollment has been declining since the fall 1992 total of 25,263 students. The highest total ever came in 1985 with a fall enrollment of 26,529.

John Anderson, interim director of university relations, said the increase was expected.

“This is a result of stepped-up efforts to recruit students. We want to stabilize enrollment at around 25,000,” he said. “Enrollment had declined slightly over the past five years. This was a concern.”

He said enrollment services were doing a better job of recruiting students out of high school, but, “I think there is greater competition with in- and out-of-state institutions.”

Tuition and fees make up about 15 percent of the university’s income. Using last year’s undergraduate resident tuition cost of $2,386 for the academic year, the increase in enrollment will net ISU at least a $540,000 increase in funds over last fall. This figure does not take into account any out-of-state students that may be part of the surplus.

Out-of-state students pay about three times as much in tuition. Taxpayers subsidize the bulk of an in-state student’s tuition.

Freshman Amy Potter said she came to ISU mainly for the journalism and mass communication department but also because of ISU’s beautiful campus.

“I didn’t like [the University of] Iowa’s layout of the campus. Also I lived at [the University of Nebraska] and absolutely nothing was happening there,” she said. “Our campus was well kept, and the dorms were in much better shape than Lincoln or Iowa.”

Retention of students by ISU also helped keep the enrollment up, Anderson said.

Kathleen MacKay, dean of students, said, “I think retention is something that everybody at the university needs to be concerned about. When a student comes, it is all of our jobs, everybody at the university, to help the student to graduate.”

Charlie Borman is a transfer sophomore in pre-veterinary medicine from Preston. He attended Coe College in Cedar Rapids before coming to ISU for the courses it offers.

“I came basically because its the only school in Iowa that has a vet-med program.”

The enrollment increase included 160 more undergraduates and 66 more graduate students.

Anderson said another reason that may have played a part was increased fund-raising efforts for more scholarships, such as the Hixson Scholarships.

“A lot of things influence students to come: athletics, academic reputation and strength of the quality of life. I think we have a lot of things going for us in those regards.”

Last year at this time the university was forced to make budget adjustments to make up for a bigger-than-expected drop in enrollment.

1996 Enrollment Numbers

University Totals

1995 24,673

1996 24,899

Difference +266