Winter session enrollment sets new record

January 27, 2016

SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. - Enrollment for Slippery Rock University's 2015 winter session continued its upward climb, posting a 7.2 percent increase from 2014 figures.

The number of undergraduate students taking winter session courses grew from 1,263 to 1,346, a 6.6 percent increase, while graduate student enrollment was up from 395 to 431, a 9.1 percent jump.

"One of the biggest factors in the continued increase is probably the influence on a student's time to degree," said Carrie Birckbichler, associate provost, academic planning, resource management and assessment.

"When you look at the 2015 graduates, more than 40 percent took at least one (winter session) course. More and more, people are very in tune with the costs associated with higher education and winter session helps them stay on track and graduate in a traditional four-year span."

Winter session is a five-week period between the end of the fall term and the beginning of the spring term, during which time students can enroll in courses that are specifically chosen for an accelerated, online format.

In total, more than 35 different areas of study, encompassing 138 courses, were offered during the 2015 winter session. The courses were open to current students, newly accepted spring first-year students, transfer, graduate and non-SRU students.

MEDIA CONTACT: Robb King | 724.738.2199 | robert.king@sru.edu