Last week, ULM announced its highest official enrollment since 2022. The university saw a 4% overall increase in students, with a 22% increase in first-time freshmen.
Lisa Miller, vice president for enrollment management and university relations, explained the university used two methods for quantifying enrollment: the official census and the total registration for second-quarter classes.
The administration took the official census on the 14th day of classes. The university also counted registered students whose classes begin in the second eight-week term of the semester.
“Either way you count, ULM experienced an overall 4% increase,” Miller said.
Miller stated that the COVID-19 pandemic negatively impacted enrollment due to federal gathering mandates. The university’s recruitment came to a halt during the pandemic since recruiters could not visit high school campuses or advertise at local events. Without recruitment, fewer potential students learned about ULM’s resources and campus.
Miller praised the Hawkseekers program for their efforts in welcoming students to campus and helping increase enrollment. Hawkseekers are upperclassmen who act as campus tour guides. They speak at local high schools and attend recruitment events, such as Browse on the Bayou.
On Sept. 19, the administration announced the increase in enrollment with a celebration, complete champagne and confetti.
ULM President Ron Berry addressed the crowd, thanking them for their efforts.
“We are here today to celebrate a number, but more important than that, we’re here to celebrate each one of you,” Berry said.
Berry announced that undergraduate enrollment was recorded to be 8,179, according to the official census.
Sushma Krishnamurthy, dean of the graduate school, reported an official enrollment of some 1,640 students in graduate school.
“That’s a historical high,” she said.
Michael Camille, VP for information services and student success, reported that he was pleased with student retention rates. Berry also mentioned that student retention rates were increasing.
“Since COVID, we had been going down, and last year, we saw the decline turn into a small increase,” Berry said. “We saw some huge increases in our retention rates for students.”
Sami Owens, vice president for enrollment management and university relations assistant, claimed that the high enrollment this year stemmed from collaborative efforts from faculty and staff.
“It’s the result of a massive, collective effort,” Owens said. “Across the divisions, this has been a united effort better than we’ve ever seen, and I’ve been here 24 years. The entire university worked together better than ever.”
