Enrollment on the rise

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U of R enjoying increased numbers on campus

Martin Weaver
News Editor

The number of credit hours taught at the University of Regina is up for the third year in a row, a trend that is expected to continue.

Barb Pollock, vice-president of external relations, credits the increased enrollment with a combination of things.

“Credit to the staff and faculty at the University of Regina,” she said. “I think our reputation has been good, but it hasn’t been as well-known and appreciated. More effort is being made in that regard. Our marketing efforts have increased significantly in the last few years.”

She added that the UR guarantee program, which was originally launched as a retention program, has become an attraction to recruitment.

Pollock feels that the increase is an important turnaround from previous years.

“We are on a good trend,” she said. “We have had a decrease of about 15% over a four-year period and in the last three years we have changed that and we are starting to go back up.”

Although this comes as positive news, the number of current credit hours are still lower than they were in 2003-04, just before the drop.

This year, the preliminary numbers estimated that campus enrollment was up just over three per cent. A big part of that demographic includes international students as well as graduate students.

Pollock says that the university is working hard to be one of the top institutions in Canada when it comes to Aboriginal learning. She feels that will soon pay off.

“I think that, one day, we will be known in Canada by our federated colleges as the strongest in Aboriginal-related teaching, schooling, and research,” she said.

In addition to increased enrollment, the University of Regina also experienced increased grants. This has allowed U of R to grow even more.

Financial burdens of being a student can be challenging and Pollock thinks that’s another advantage for this campus.

“I think the University of Regina is a great place,” she said. “Some of us would say that we have a very affordable situation. The University of Regina’s tuition and fees are still in the mid-range for a comprehensive mid-sized university like ours.”

She added that, as a mid-sized university, we get the resources of a larger centre without the hassle of a bigger university.

Signs are already showing that next year could bring another increase.

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