This year’s cohort of freshman students at the University of Houston Cullen College of Engineering shouldn’t have much trouble finding a good study group. With a class that’s more than 25 percent larger than last year, there will be plenty of people to cram with when the first tests come around.
All told, the college has begun the 2011-2012 academic year with 603 freshman students, up from 477 a year earlier. Five of the college’s six departments saw an increase in freshman enrollment of at least 28 percent.
Those figures supported a rise in total undergraduate enrollment of approximately 330 students to 2,399. All classes – from freshman to senior – posted higher enrollment numbers in the current year than in 2010.
And though master’s enrollment fell in 2011, the college’s doctoral student ranks grew by almost nine percent to 285, while those pursing post-baccalaureate studies increased by 28 percent to 160.
In total, the college’s 2011 enrollment grew by more than 10 percent to 3,286.
Joseph W. Tedesco, Elizabeth D. Rockwell Dean and Professor at the Cullen College, attributed the improved enrollment numbers to both the college’s and university’s impressive showings in recent rankings.
In 2011 alone, the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching designated UH a Tier One Research University, while the Princeton Review named it one of America’s best institutions for undergraduate students.
Meanwhile, in 2010, the Cullen College posted a strong showing in the National Research Council’s Ph.D. program rankings. Many of the college’s programs were ranked higher than or roughly equal to the offerings at other prestigious research institutions both regionally and nationally.
“UH and the Cullen College have reached major milestones in establishing themselves as leaders in research and education,” Tedesco said. “The outstanding enrollment numbers we’ve posted for the new academic year show that more and more potential students have noted our achievements and are choosing to come to UH for their education.”