HAMMOND – Southeastern Louisiana University has experienced growth in two key areas – enrollment and retention of students – the university recently reported.
The university realized solid increases in enrollment across both undergraduate and graduate students. Undergraduate enrollment rose by 2.1 percent, while graduate enrollment experienced an increase of 13.3 percent.
“Reaching my 100th day in office bears with it the great news of our fall 2023 enrollment report. Southeastern has been working on a concerted and university-wide effort to strengthen purposeful enrollment,” said Southeastern President William Wainwright. “Seeing growth in so many student categories indicates that we are certainly moving in the right direction and have a post-pandemic path forward. I know this is only the beginning.”
With an overall enrollment of 13,888, an increase of 2.9 percent, Southeastern experienced growth in several categories. New or incoming student increases included transfer students, graduate students, dual enrollment students, and reentry students. Southeastern experienced its largest ever dual enrollment of high school students, and the Honors Program had a significant increase of 16.2 percent, resulting in the largest enrollment in the program’s history. Also, the university saw a 30.9 percent increase in international students.
“While growing our new student base is important, having gains in retention demonstrates our commitment to student success. Ensuring every student has the greatest possibility to graduate is one of our paramount goals,” added Wainwright.
In addition to enrollment growth, Southeastern also reported successful increases in retention of students. The freshman retention rate, for example, was the highest ever at 76 percent. A significant increase in retention of African American students was realized, as well as increases in retention of male and dual enrollment students.
Southeastern currently offers over 150 programs of study, including many that are regionally and nationally ranked.
