BSC Enjoys Enrollment Increase
Approaching 5%

( Bluefield)—Bluefield State College is one of the fastest-growing public four-year institutions of higher education in West Virginia. Fall Semester 2006 enrollment figures just released by the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission (HEPC) show that BSC enjoyed a 4.6% growth in headcount enrollment over year-ago, same semester enrollment figures. That growth rate is topped only BY Shepherd University (4.9%) among the ten public four-year colleges and universities in the state.

The College reported a student (headcount) enrollment of 1,788 for the Fall Semester 2006, an increase of 78 students above 2005’s Fall Semester headcount enrollment. BSC also experienced a 3% full-time equivalency (FTE) enrollment growth during the same period. FTE is computed by totaling all credit hours taught during a semester, then dividing that figure by 15.

"We're encouraged and gratified by the growth," noted BSC President Dr. Albert Walker. "The excellence of our faculty, the career-relevance of our programs of study, the student-focus of our staff, and the direction of our Board of Governors have been invaluable as the College has efficiently managed its resources to serve the residents of southern and southeastern West Virginia."

BSC recently initiated a new, discounted tuition rate for students living in out-of-state counties bordering West Virginia. HEPC approved a proposal submitted by the Bluefield State College Board of Governors to reduce tuition for border county residents from $7,760 per year ($3,880/semester) to $5,720 per year ($2,860/semester), effective this semester—a saving of more than 26%. Additionally, BSC’s fulltime tuition for West Virginia residents is only $1,825/semester, the most affordable among all public, four-year colleges and universities in West Virginia. It’s 11.4% lower than the average tuition among these colleges, and it represents an even greater savings when compared to regional private, accredited four-year college tuition levels.

Enrollment-driven initiatives like the Emerging Scholars Program, Student Success Center, federally-funded TRIO programs--Student Support Services, Veterans Upward Bound, Educational Opportunity Center--and the West Virginia Access Center for Higher Education are among the many Bluefield State College endeavors that focus upon recruiting, supporting, and retaining college students.

December 8, 2006