WT Spring Enrollment Numbers Up

Copy by Chip Chandler, 806-651-2124, cchandler@wtamu.edu

CANYON, Texas — Undergraduate enrollment is on the rise at West Texas A&M University.

After a recent dip in overall enrollment, the spring numbers are up more than 1 percent over the spring 2024 semester.

Semester credit hours also grew by nearly 1 percent over 2024 figures.

The 12th class day, which fell on Feb. 5, is when public universities in Texas traditionally report enrollment in the fall and spring semesters.

Semester credit hours are the data used by Texas officials in determining the level of state funding WT and other colleges and universities will receive.

“The increase from spring 2024 to spring 2025 is an excellent sign,” said Mike Knox, vice president for enrollment management. “Spring enrollment is always lower than fall enrollment, but this growth, as well as the outstanding rate of freshmen staying for the spring, bode very well for continued growth in the fall.”

Overall enrollment grew more than 2.5 percent among undergraduates; semester credit hours for undergraduates also grew more than 1 percent. Enrollment also grew among freshmen, juniors and seniors, dipping only slightly among sophomores. More than 92 percent of freshmen who started in the fall semester returned for the spring.

The rising enrollment numbers are a welcome turnaround from several semesters of flat or slightly decreased numbers, reflecting new energy and coordination in the admissions process and an aggressive new digital marketing strategy through the University’s “Excellence Redefined” campaign.

“Enrollment remains our top priority,” said WT President Walter V. Wendler. “Recruiting and retaining undergraduate and graduate students is essential to all universities, but especially critical for regional universities like WT. I commend the effort we are putting into attracting new students, and we will continue to find new ways to secure enrollment growth. WT is an excellent University and the Panhandle an important region — both of which deserve our best efforts.”

Among WT’s six Colleges, enrollment in the Paul Engler College of Agriculture and Natural Sciences rose more than 2 percent, the College of Engineering rose more than 3 percent, and the College of Nursing and Health Sciences rose more than 2 percent.

Other individual departments seeing growth included, in the Engler College of Agriculture and Natural Sciences, the Department of Agricultural Sciences, up almost 3 percent, and the Department of Chemistry and Physics, up almost 1 percent; in the Paul and Virginia Engler College of Business, the Amarillo National Bank School of Accounting, Economics and Finance, up nearly 5 percent; in the College of Engineering, the Department of Engineering and Computer Sciences, up nearly 5 percent; in the Sybil B. Harrington College of Fine Arts & Humanities, the Department of English, Philosophy and Modern Languages, up almost 7 percent; and in the College of Nursing and Health Sciences, the Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences, up more than 17 percent, the Laura and Joe Street School of Nursing, up more than 7 percent, and the Department of Health Sciences, up nearly 3 percent.

Almost 48 percent of WT undergraduates and 42 percent of graduate students are first-generation college students. Looking at the full student body, including graduate students, more than 48 percent are racially and ethnically diverse, 46.5 percent are Pell Grant-eligible, and nearly 38 percent are online-only.

The number of Hispanic students also ticked up nearly 3 percent. Hispanic students make up almost 32 percent of the total student body.

WT has been qualified as a Hispanic Serving Institution since 2016. To qualify, an institution’s Hispanic full-time equivalency must be at least 25 percent of the overall undergraduate population.

For spring 2025, WT has 6,392 undergraduate students and 1,923 graduate students.

Providing a nurturing yet rigorous educational environment for learners of all levels is a key component of the University’s long-range plan, WT 125: From the Panhandle to the World.

That plan is fueled by the historic One West comprehensive fundraising campaign, which reached its initial $125 million goal 18 months after publicly launching in September 2021. The campaign’s new goal is to reach $175 million by 2025; currently, it has raised more than $160 million.

About West Texas A&M University

WT, a Regional Research University, is redefining excellence in Canyon, Texas, on a 342-acre residential campus, as well as the Harrington Academic Hall WTAMU Amarillo Center in downtown Amarillo. Established in 1910, the University has been part of The Texas A&M University System since 1990. WT, a Hispanic Serving Institution since 2016, boasts an enrollment of more than 9,000 and offers 66 undergraduate degree programs, including eight associate degrees; and 44 graduate degrees, including an integrated bachelor’s and master’s degree, a specialist degree and two doctoral degrees. The University is also home to the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum, the largest history museum in the state and the home of one of the Southwest’s finest art collections. The Buffaloes are a member of the NCAA Division II Lone Star Conference and offers 14 men’s and women’s athletics programs.

—WT—