Two important numbers for ASU -- total enrollment and returning freshmen -- are on the rise this semester.
All campuses have continued to grow, with 57,208 students in classes this spring, said ASU spokeswoman Sarah Auffret. That is up 2,230 from spring 2005.
Vice president of undergraduate initiatives Jim Rund said ASU is expanding all campuses, and the partnership with the city of Phoenix will enable another campus in downtown Phoenix.
"Growth is not our goal," Rund added. "Our goal is to serve the need of the state."
Tempe campus enrollment increased this year to 48,303, an increase of 4 percent. The West campus grew 5 percent, reaching 7,401 students. The Polytechnic campus passed a milestone in its enrollment with 5,185 students.
This is the first semester the Polytechnic campus has had more than 5,000 students.
Freshman retention, a measure of how many freshmen return for their sophomore year, also hit a high mark, Auffret said.
A record 79 percent of freshmen from fall 2004 enrolled again in fall 2005, compared to 68.2 percent in 1995, she added.
"Improving freshman retention has been a goal across campus for years," Auffret said. "ASU has tried hard to improve advising for freshmen, provide more tutoring and other academic support, get them more involved in campus activities and encourage more freshmen to live on campus."
The registrar's office calculates the enrollment numbers, freezing them on the 21st day of each semester, after the drop/add period, Auffret said.
Reach the reporter at tatiana.hensley@asu.edu.
