Enrolment reaches all-time high
As of the first day of classes, fall 2012 enrolment of undergraduate and graduate students at the University of Saskatchewan has increased 3.5 per cent over last year. This increase brings the total student population up to nearly 21,000 students—the most the institution has ever had.
By Mark Ferguson"Given the increasingly competitive post-secondary market, we are encouraged that more students have decided to study at our university," said Russell Isinger, U of S registrar. "This growth is a reflection of our world-class faculty, innovative programming and research, strong recruitment strategies and enhanced retention and support activities."
All colleges are at or above last year's enrolment levels. The colleges of nursing, arts and science, engineering, agriculture and bioresources and graduate studies and research saw the highest growth this year.
Over the past four years, the province's largest university has recruited more actively in Saskatchewan, Western Canada and internationally. The U of S recently completed a very successful year-long recruitment campaign in Alberta, which contributed to a 35 per cent increase in new students from Alberta.
Students from Alberta coming to the U of S campus this fall are the first class to be accepted under the university's new Alberta admissions policy. The policy admits Alberta curriculum students based on either their Grade 12 school-assigned marks or their final diploma exam mark—whichever works best for the student.
"The policy puts students who follow the Alberta curriculum on a level playing field with their Canadian counterparts," said Alison Pickrell, director of enrolment services. "Alberta students are well prepared to succeed, and we will go to great lengths to support these high-achieving students."
Students who follow other curriculums do not have mandatory Grade 12 final diploma exams, so many universities across Canada admit these students based 100 per cent on their in-class grades.
Official enrolment data, including specific undergraduate, graduate, Aboriginal, international and college enrolment numbers will be available in October.