03/26/19
HAYS, Kan. – Record enrollments at Fort Hays State University have continued for an 18th consecutive spring with a 20th-day enrollment of 13,291, which is 164 students higher than last spring’s 13,127.

The 13,291 students this spring are taking a total of 126,947 credit hours, computes to a full-time equivalent count of 9,153.

The Kansas Board of Regents decided last summer to transition the traditional preliminary enrollment count – the 20th day count – from the headcount metric to a full-time-equivalency metric.

The overall headcount increase, 1.2 percent, was on the strength of increases in the FHSU Virtual College and in enrollment at the university’s international partners. Online enrollment increased by 86 to 6,830; and enrollment at the university’s international partner universities increased by 204 to 2,307.

On-campus enrollment decreased by 126 to 4,154.

The number of Kansas students also increased, to 7,500 this spring from 7,334 in spring 2018.

“Saying ‘18 consecutive years’ makes it sound easy,” said Dr. Dennis King, assistant vice president for enrollment management and retention. “However, this is the result of a great foundation and continued hard work for everyone at FHSU.”

“A reduced number of potential students and an increase in competition are an ongoing challenge,” he said, “but our successful students are sharing their stories, and when people hear what FHSU has to offer, they want to be a part of it.”

The numbers break down to 10,626 undergraduate and 2,665 graduate students. The total includes 51 students in the university’s Doctor of Nursing Practice program. The Doctor of Nursing Practice is FHSU’s first doctoral degree.

FHSU’s Hispanic student enrollment this spring is up across the board, from 1,046 last spring to 1,093 in spring 2019. That includes undergraduate and graduate enrollment.

The string of record enrollments began in 2002, when both spring and fall enrollments set all-time highs. Each semester since has been higher than the corresponding semester from the previous year.