SDSU-IV summer semester enrollment up 52 percent
CALEXICO — It may be summer vacation time for most students, but students at San Diego State University-Imperial Valley have turned out in possibly record numbers to attend summer courses this year.
A total of 320 students enrolled in courses during the one 13-week and two six-week sessions at the Imperial Valley campus. That amounts to a 52 percent increase over last year’s summer enrollment of 211 and a 65 percent increase over the enrollment average of the last four summers.
“There are a couple of factors that made a big difference,” said Roger Dunn, interim associate dean for academic affairs. “The enrollment staff did an excellent job of selecting courses the students want and need. And, students are becoming oriented to working through the system more efficiently so they can graduate sooner.”
The increased course offerings included both required courses and those that become “bottlenecks” when there aren’t enough sections available to meet students’ demand during the regular academic year.
It was all part of an ongoing effort at the university to develop a summer session that better serves students. Additionally, there is more financial aid for tuition and fees for this summer.
The significant summer enrollment increase at SDSU-IV comes on the heels of last fall’s enrollment increase to 1,025 students, which was the second highest in campus history.
In addition to the dramatic enrollment increase, this summer session is notable because it marks the first time in about 15 years that full-time, four-year degree students are taking courses at the Imperial Valley campus.
As of fall 2019, SDSU-IV is offering a fulltime, four-year criminal justice degree program. The campus will add a full-time, four-year psychology degree in fall 2020.
The university said some incoming freshmen, who are eligible for the summer session, are taking summer courses to get an early start to their college careers.
That includes some freshmen enrolled in the full-time degree program and some who are in the part-time degree program called IVUP, which is offered through a partnership between SDSU IV, Imperial Valley College, and the Imperial County Office of Education.