WKU News & Events

September 17, 2002

WKU Sets Record Enrollment Again

Bowling Green, Ky. - Western Kentucky University President Gary Ransdell is making good on his promise to make WKU a "university of choice" as the University has set another record for enrollment.

There are an estimated 17,770 students attending Western this fall, according to Registrar Freida Eggleton. Eggleton submitted that estimate Monday to the Council on Postsecondary Education. That's almost 1,200 students more than last fall's record enrollment of 16,579.

"As we continue to improve our academic programs and the physical campus to supplement our already outstanding faculty, we fully expected to see enrollment grow," Dr. Ransdell said. "Western is the fastest growing university in Kentucky and is clearly a university of choice for students and faculty who are dedicated to academic excellence."

Eggleton said the preliminary figures show enrollment up in all undergraduate and graduate categories. They include 15,150 undergraduates and 2,620 graduate students. That compares to a fall 2001 enrollment of 14,135 undergraduates and 2,444 graduate students.

Final enrollment figures are due to CPE on Nov. 1.

Below are fall enrollment figures since 1990.

Fall enrollment figures:
1990 15,240
1991 15,767
1992 15,750
1993 15,335
1994 14,765
1995 14,721
1996 14,613
1997 14,543
1998 14,882
1999 15,123
2000 15,516
2001 16,579
2002 17,770 (Estimate)

For more information, contact Freida Eggleton at (270) 745-5432. More WKU news is available on the World Wide Web at www.wku.edu. If you'd like to receive WKU news via e-mail, send a message to WKUNews@wku.edu.