Wayland Baptist University Announces Record Enrollment for New Students, Online Degree Programs

PLAINVIEW, Texas, Oct. 25, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Wayland Baptist University is celebrating a record enrollment for the fall 2011 term, eclipsing the previous mark set in 2007. Enrollment numbers show a 5.61 percent increase throughout the Wayland system with a total enrollment of 6,743 students. In Plainview, enrollment is up 21.31 percent to 1,725 students, 303 more than 2010. The on-campus head count (excluding virtual campus students) for Wayland is 1,285. The previous record was 1,142.

"This is extremely exciting and rewarding for the entire campus," said Dr. Claude Lusk, Vice President for Enrollment Management. "It takes an entire campus to make something like this a reality."

A portion of the growth can be attributed to the additional student athletes on campus preparing for the start of football next fall. Wayland reinstated football and a "leadership class" is currently working out and preparing for the upcoming season. However, the additional numbers reflect far more than the addition of a football team.

"This record enrollment can be attributed to the continued growth in the quality and value of what we offer," Lusk said. "When you look at the educational opportunities at Wayland, the academic diversity, the international experiences, the mission opportunities and the affordability, it creates a value that is being recognized and growth is a result of that."

WBU Plainview grew in both undergraduate and graduate students, showing an enrollment of 1,341 undergraduate students, up from 1,088 a year ago. Wayland's freshman class grew 49 percent from the previous year. The number of transfer students also grew with 122 transfers on campus this year. Graduate enrollment increased to 384 students, 50 more than the fall of 2010. Wayland's virtual campus also grew with an enrollment of 2,787 students, a 15.74 percent increase from last year.

For additional information, visit www.wbu.edu.  

To read more on this topic, visit http://www.wbu.edu/news_and_events/2011/october/enrollment.html.

About Wayland Baptist University:

Wayland Baptist University exists to educate students in an academically challenging, learning-focused and distinctively Christian environment for professional success, lifelong learning, and service to God and humankind with online degree options. Wayland offers a wide variety of opportunities unlike any other Christian colleges, and is also home to one of the fastest growing online degree programs available. The university was among the first institutions in the country to offer military education and adult education online.

SOURCE Wayland Baptist University