Cal State Hayward Enrollment Increase Leads to Record Number of Students

Enrollment at California State University, Hayward has grown to its highest numbers ever, as 13,240 students registered for classes for the fall 2001 quarter, according to Robert Strobel, the university's assistant vice president for Enrollment Services.

The university's student count grew by 4.1 percent (533 additional students) over the fall 2000 quarter, when 12,707 were enrolled.

"In addition to our student enrollment being the highest it has ever been, this is the first time since 1991 that the university's overall enrollment has been over 13,000 students," said Leone Rodriguez, assistant vice president for Institutional Research and Analysis.

Cal State Hayward's enrollment figure, when calculating the overall total of class units for which students are registered, is equivalent to 10,388 "full-time" students. This also is a record number for CSUH and a 4.2 percent increase over the "full-time equivalent (FTE) figure of 9,972 of one year ago. The FTE is a measurement of enrollment calculated by dividing the total number of units for which students are registered for the quarter by 15, the standard number of class units taken by full-time students.

The increase is indicative of recruitment efforts by CSUH to reach out to surrounding communities and counties in the Bay Area and to provide the courses and academic services wanted by the population.

"From conducting surveys to distributing recruitment materials in the community, we're determined to let everyone know about the quality of our academic programs and instruction," said Strobel. "The five most important characteristics rated by students who enrolled here were availability of majors, quality of majors, costs of attendance, value for the price, and personal attention. We are also keeping the teacher-student ratio to 20-1 so students have greater access to the instructor."

Cal State Hayward responded to the survey responses by streamlining the student admissions process, adding scholarships and more student housing, and improving accessibility to desired classes.

"For the first time, beginning with the fall 2001 quarter, students were able to register for classes online from any computer with access to the Internet," Rodriguez explained. "More than half of our students registered online for the current quarter. We've also made certain to add classes in the subjects desired and needed by students while limiting class size so that they have greater personal interaction with their instructor.

"Value for the price and cost of attendance at Cal State Hayward were the most important factors for those who ultimately enrolled here for the fall quarter," Rodriguez noted.

Only 15 of more than 2,000 classes offered by CSUH have more than 100 students.

Another important consideration, according to the survey, was quality class accessibility for those employed full time while seeking undergraduate and graduate degrees for personal and career growth.
As part of its overall growth, Cal State Hayward also had a 10.1 percent increase (340) in graduate students seeking master's degrees or teaching credentials over the fall 2000 quarter, with 3,712 enrolled for that purpose in 2001.

"Our staff has been doing a great job during the past year to bring our excellent faculty and curriculum to the attention of the communities we serve," said Cal State Hayward President Norma Rees. The enrollment growth at CSUH contributed to the recently reported overall system-wide increase for the California State University system.