Enrollment up for spring semester at Southeast

Enrollment at Southeast Missouri State University is up 4.6 percent, according to a news release issued by the university Wednesday.

A preliminary report compiled after the first full day of classes of the spring 2010 semester showed a combined undergraduate and graduate student headcount of 9,820, up from 9,389 at this time last year.

Classes at Southeast began Tuesday.

Total enrollment is up by 431 over first-day spring 2009 figures and up by 713 over first-day spring 2008. Total undergraduate student headcount is 8,773 this semester, up 4.6 percent from spring 2009.

Undergraduate enrollments are up 388 over spring 2009 and up 621 over spring 2008.

Beginning freshmen enrollment is up 57.9 percent from spring 2009, at 221, up from 140 last year. Transfer student headcount is 320, up from 257.

"These are the highest enrollments of new and transfer students we have seen in at least 10 years," said Dr. Debbie Below, assistant vice president for Enrollment Management and director of Admissions at Southeast Missouri State University.

The numbers released Wednesday are preliminary. The official census report will be issued in four weeks.