WEST LIBERTY, W.Va., Aug. 13, 2017 — West Liberty University will welcome more students to campus this August.
“Our first year student enrollment is up by 11.5 percent and we are seeing positive trends in housing, which is up 11 percent, and transfer students, up seven percent. When you add in the big jump in graduate student enrollment, which is up by 52 percent, we are confident that this fall, the enrollment figures will be great news for campus,” said Vice President Scott Cook, who heads-up Student Services and also is the Registrar.
The numbers reflect totals as of Aug. 2, 2017 and are compared to last year at the same time, Cook noted. Official numbers won’t be available till later this fall.
“As we prepare to welcome the class of 2021, West Liberty University can be very proud of the fact that our enrollment is up. This success is the result of a consistent effort on the part of all employees in recruiting and retention activities. It is especially notable when viewed in light of the enrollment trends across the country,” said Dr. Stephen Greiner, WLU President.
Overall in spring 2017, postsecondary enrollments across the nation decreased 1.5 percent from the previous spring, according to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. In fact, the number of students in colleges and universities nationwide has now dropped for five straight years, according to the Clearinghouse.
New undergraduate and graduate programs like the June launch of the MA/MS in Biology degree have helped fuel the current student enrollment increase, as well as new athletic teams, like men’s soccer and women’s acrobatic and tumbling, both added last semester.
Two dorms were updated over the summer months to meet demand and are now full, offering single rooms for more students. Other campus improvements include the addition of a new convenience store in the College Union building, known as the Bear Necessities. Additionally, an $800,000 campus-wide technology update is nearly complete.
Move-in day for freshmen is Friday, Aug. 18 and returning students move back to campus on Sunday, Aug. 20.
Classes begin on Saturday, Aug. 19 at the Highlands Center, and on Monday, Aug. 21 on the main campus. The last day to enroll or add a class is Aug. 30.
West Liberty University is West Virginia’s oldest institution of higher education and offers 70 undergraduate majors and 30 programs.
Graduate programs include the Master of Arts in Education, the Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies, the Master of Professional Studies, the Master of Science in Criminology, the online MBA and the new MA/MS in Biology. For more information on WLU, please call 1.866.WESTLIB or visit westliberty.edu.