Southeastern sees growth in enrollment, retention
Thursday, September 14, 2023
by: Tonya Lowentritt
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.
