But on the bad side, that increase is in the student head-count, the plain number of students attending the University. In the critical measure of how many credit-units students are taking - the main indicator of how much they really attend the U of S and how much tuition they pay - the figure is only marginally up from 2002.

So, while Registrar Åsa Kachan reports that there are 1.9 per cent more total undergraduate and graduate degree students at the University this fall over last, the increase in their credit-units is just 0.57 per cent.

For Provost and Vice-President Academic Michael Atkinson this means a number of things: Students' education patterns are changing. That needs to be studied. The U of S must be proactive with its soon-to-be-unveiled Enrolment Plan, positioning itself as a university of choice for students.

And finally, Atkinson says, the low rise in credit-units this year means a "shortfall" from what the University had projected for tuition income this year - so the average one-per-cent levy assessed on all campus departments and units, designed to raise $1.5 million to balance the 2003-04 budget, "will now be a bit higher because of the enrolment".

In spite of all that, Atkinson says it's good that the U of S has not only held its own on enrolment, but has increased in most categories. He's particularly pleased that the number of international students, both undergraduate and graduate, is up. Officials had feared that the impact of SARS and other immigration problems might have cut the number of international students arriving at the U of S. With undergraduate international students paying a differential fee on top of tuition, a decline in their numbers could have had serious budget implications.

Atkinson says the Enrolment Plan will contain plans for the kind of "cohort studies" that will help the University understand the changing patterns of student enrolment, so it can ensure its programs fit their needs.

"We have a long-term job. We have to make this a very attractive place, and we have to get that word out," he says.

He notes that while people automatically think that the cause of more students taking fewer credit-units must be students trying to ease their financial costs, it could also be that "program rigidities" are causing students to take longer to progress through a degree program. That's one of the issues that the Enrolment Plan and subsequent cohort studies will have to address, he adds.

The Census numbers

The total number of students attending the U of S rose to 19,717 this fall, an increase of 221 students, or 1.1 per cent, over last fall. That includes all undergraduate and graduate full-time and part-time degree students and all students in diploma and certificate programs.
The total number of full-time students is up 2.5 per cent, to 15,698. The number of part-time students is down 3.9 per cent, to 4.019.
Total undergraduate degree enrolment is up by 244 students or 1.5 per cent from 2002, to 17,049.
Total graduate degree enrolment is up by 105 students or 6.0 per cent from 2002, to 1,848.
The overall total of all undergrad and graduate degree enrolment is up by 349 students or 1.9 per cent from 2002, to 18,897.
The enrolment in certificate and diploma courses is down by 75 students or 11.3 per cent from last year, to 589.
The Master's enrolment is up by 35 students or 2.8 per cent over 2002, to 1,287.
The PhD enrolment is up by 91 students or 22.5 per cent over last year, to 495.
College of Agriculture undergraduate enrolment continued to decline, dropping by 49 students or 8.8 per cent from a year ago, to 511 students.
College of Arts & Science enrolment increased by 473 students or 6.5 per cent over last year, to 7,764.
College of Kinesiology enrolment increased by 19 students or 4.1 per cent over 2002, to 484.
International undergraduate enrolment increased by 21 students or 3.3 per cent over 2002, to 653.
International graduate enrolment increased by 97 students or 27.2 per cent over last fall, to 454.
Total international enrolment increased by 118 students or 11.9 per cent over 2002, to 1,107.

For more information, contact communications.office@usask.ca

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