CMU’s enrollment is up 2.3 percent this year, placing the university’s population at 9,046 students on the official census-day. CMU President Tim Foster expects this number to grow as the semester continues.

“The census is the old-fashioned deal when everyone started in the fall and went through the spring,” Foster said.

Now, with modules, late starts, summer classes, J-term, and other variables, the numbers between the beginning of the census and the end of the year report have a large margin of difference. Foster predicts the official number could be closer to 9,100 or 9,200 students by the end of the school year.

According to a press release on Thursday, this year’s census illustrates growth in a variety of aspects. There has been a 4.7 percent increase in full-time students,” President Foster said in the release. This equates to a 3.7 percent higher average of credit hours taken.

Ethnic minorities, out-of-state enrollments, underrepresented groups and international students have also swelled this year. The census revealed that there are 42 international students, which is a 75 percent increase from last year. For out-of-state students, the percentage of attendance rose about 5 percent, reaching nearly 1,100 students.

This is the first time CMU has topped 9,000 students, and Foster believes the new growth is helping students to learn more than just book knowledge.

“All of these increases enhance the diverse experience of our students,” Foster said in the press release. “It enriches the opportunities on campus.”

While 2.3 percent is not as drastic of an increase as past years, Foster sees it as a good sign. The student population went from 8,844 students in the fall of 2011 to 9,046 students this year which shows promise for the University.

“[The goal is to] accommodate the varied types of students who want to take classes,” Foster said.

CMU is now a choice school for many incoming students. ACT score records show that CMU is a co-applicant school with Colorado State University,  University of Northern Colorado, University of Colorado-Boulder and University of Colorado-Colorado Springs.

kirick@mavs.coloradomesa.edu