The Spokane areas three largest four-year colleges expect record-breaking enrollments this fall, and their numbers of students continue to grow as more echo baby boomers reach college age.


Freshman class sizes are increasing at Gonzaga University and Eastern Washington University, and student-retention rates are improving at Whitworth College.


At Washington State University at Spokane, preliminary enrollment figures arent available, and at the Community Colleges of Spokane, its too early to determine enrollment trends, spokespeople for those schools say.


Gonzaga


At Gonzaga, total undergraduate and graduate enrollment is expected to climb to about 5,700 students for the 2003-2004 school year, breaking last years record of 5,580 students, Gonzaga spokesman Dale Goodwin says.


The increase includes an anticipated jump in enrollment at Gonzagas School of Law, to 645 from 575, including a first-year class of about 230, which is at least 30 more than usual, Goodwin says.


This years undergraduate freshman class at Gonzaga is expected to include between 910 and 930 students, up somewhat from just over 900 freshman last year, he says.


If enrollment increases as expected, the 2003-2004 school year will be the fifth consecutive year in which it has grown at the Jesuit school.


Goodwin attributes the enrollment gains to a revamping of the schools financial-aid strategy that allowed it to help a greater number of students. Those changes occurred after Fr. Robert Spitzer became president of the school in 1998.


Also, he says, student interest in Gonzaga has surged as its mens basketball team has risen to national prominenceand thereby boosted the schools profile.


After five years of growth, however, Goodwin says, We think this is about where it will level off.


Later this decade, he says, the number of students graduating from high school is projected to decline as the last few classes made up largely of echo baby boomersthe children of baby boomers become adults. As that occurs, college enrollments are expected to flatten or perhaps decrease, he says.


Whitworth


At Whitworth College, enrollment for the upcoming school year is expected to reach a record 2,240 students, up about 50 students from the previous year.


Whitworth spokesman Greg Orwig says enrollment is climbing due to retention of students, rather than an influx of freshman. Better retention has caused enrollment to creep upward for four consecutive years, he says.


This years freshmen class enrollment will include roughly 440 students. Generally, the school limits each class of incoming freshmen to between 400 and 440 students to keep its student-faculty ratio low. Currently, there are 14 students for every faculty member.


We are about right where we were hoping to be, Orwig says.


While Whitworths freshman class size remains relatively static, the number of prospective students applying for admission to the school has grown dramatically in recent years, he says.


Whitworth received almost 1,900 freshman applications for the coming school year, meaning the school has accepted one of about every four applicants. The number of applicants has grown substantially since 2000, when the school received about 1,100 freshman applications.


Because of increased interest, Whitworth has had the luxury of accepting higher quality candidates, which Orwig says accounts for better retention.


EWU


At Eastern Washington University, enrollment this fall is expected to total about 9,300 students, up from just under 9,200 last year, says Michelle Whittingham, the schools director of admissions. She says this fall quarter likely will be the fifth fall quarter in a row in which enrollment has increased at EWU.


Both the number of incoming freshmen and transfer students is on course to grow slightly this year, she says.


Everything indicates well continue down this path for a year or two to come, Whittingham says.


EWU President Stephen Jordan has set a goal of boosting enrollment to 12,000 students by 2010, which Whittingham says she believes is attainable.


WSU-Spokane & CCS


While Washington State University at Spokane doesnt have preliminary figures available, school spokeswoman Barb Chamberlain says that generally speaking, the schools enrollment is ahead of where it was at this time last year.


Consequently, Chamberlain says, We anticipate some modest increases in enrollment for fall.


At Community Colleges of Spokane, its difficult to predict now how many students the two-year schools will have this fall, because most community college students enroll right beforeor even right afterclasses begin, CCS spokeswoman Mary Harniteaux says.


Last fall, the schools, Spokane Community College and Spokane Falls Community College, had a combined enrollment of 12,500 full-time equivalent students. The community colleges typically use full-time-equivalent statistics, rather than head count, because the bulk of its students attend school part time.


Currently, Spokane Community College and Spokane Falls Community College, respectively, have 1,560 and 975 full-time equivalent students signed up for fall-quarter classes, Harniteaux says, but those numbers will increase dramatically as the first day of school, which is Sept. 15, nears.


All schools here record official enrollment after the 10th day in which classes are in session.