<< Back 9/11/02 Western tops 7,000 students for record fall enrollment SMN New buildings are going up all around the campus at Western Carolina University, and with enrollment at an all-time high and a record number of freshman applications for three consecutive years, the mortar and masonry need to dry fast. For the first time in Western Carolina’s history, enrollment at the university has topped the 7,000 mark, with a total student headcount of 7,034 this fall. Western Chancellor John Bardo delivered the news to the university’s board of trustees at its quarterly meeting Friday, Sept. 6. University officials have suspected this year’s tally would top the previous enrollment record of 6,912, set in 1975. But they have been awaiting the 10th day of classes, which is the formal “freeze date” when the enrollment books are closed. The total undergraduate headcount for fall is up by 29 students over last year, to 5,374, and the total graduate headcount is up by 110, to 1,204. That makes for a total resident student headcount of 6,578, up by 139 over last year’s count. Distance learning programs add another 456 students to the roll, for the 7,034 total. Western’s freshman class of 1,220 is 42 students larger than last year’s class. The average SAT score of 1012 tied last year’s average SAT score, and the grade point average of 3.25 is also a record for WCU freshman class. “I’m pleased to report that our numbers are up across the board. We have more students enrolled than at any time in the institution’s history, and they are better prepared academically than ever before,” Bardo said. Western also had a record number of applicants for enrollment, with more than 4,150 prospective students applying for admission as freshmen in 2002. Western’s record enrollment comes as work is well under way on a new 300-bed residence hall, one of several construction and renovation projects funded through the higher education bonds approved by N.C. voters. Western has been identified by the UNC system as a “focused growth institution,” and the campus is expected to accommodate a significant increase in the number of students over the next eight to 10 years, with enrollment projected to top 9,400 by 2010. Also under construction at Western are a fine and performing arts center, a $30 million facility that will provide classroom, performance and exhibition space; a federally funded $8 million regional workforce development center that will house specialized facilities; a $6.7 million expansion of the A.K. Hinds University Center to provide additional student space; and $7.3 million in renovation work on McKee and Bird buildings.