Rogers State University has announced enrollment of 3,858 students this fall, which includes steady enrollment on the main campus in Claremore, an increase in students enrolled at the Bartlesville campus and a decrease on the Pryor campus. RSU also has recorded an increase in the number of students taking classes online.
“Many colleges and universities across the state are experiencing falling or stagnant enrollment this year due to demographic trends, including a lower number of high school graduates and a tight job market,” said RSU President Dr. Larry Rice. “In this landscape, we are very pleased to record increases in several enrollment categories at RSU.”
This fall, enrollment increased by 17 percent on the Bartlesville campus, reflecting additional classes and degree programs available there and an increased awareness of the downtown campus location, Rice said.
“We anticipated major enrollment increases on our Bartlesville campus due to additional programs in business and nursing and we are gratified that more students are taking advantage of those programs,” he said.
The RSU Online Program, in which students take classes and earn degrees completely via the Internet, posted an enrollment increase of seven percent. More than 1,600 students are enrolled in at least one online class at RSU, including 821 students who are enrolled exclusively through RSU Online.
“Many RSU students are enrolled full-time in our online programs or they are supplementing their ‘on-ground’ classes with online classes to work around busy schedules,” Rice said. “Students also are taking advantage of online programs to save the rising cost of fuel required to drive to campus.”
A decrease in enrollment on the Pryor Campus can be attributed to major construction on that campus, Rice said.
“We are not completely surprised by the decrease in enrollment at the Pryor campus,” he said. “We have been in the midst of major construction on that campus, which has resulted in some disruption.”
However, Rice expects that trend to reverse itself when the expanded campus opens in time for the spring semester, resulting in more class offerings and significantly improved facilities.
“We expect enrollment to increase at the Pryor campus when area residents learn about our expanded facilities and academic offerings,” Rice said.
For more information about RSU programs in Claremore, Bartlesville, and Pryor, and the RSU Online Program, call the RSU Enrollment Center at (918) 343-7777 or 1-800-256-7511.