University of Saint Francis announces record breaking enrollment

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) - The University of Saint Francis announced at their annual Opening Convocation on Wednesday that their enrollment for this year's school year is the largest in the university's history.

The number of students from last year has increased from 2,350 to 2,366. This increase is largely attributed to the financial aid packages given to direct out of high school students, retention initiatives, and the launch of a new Virtual Campus aimed for adults.

Another reason that enrollment numbers are up are because of USF's new policy to provide financial aid to 100 percent of first-time, full-time undergraduate applicants. According to the Financial Aid Office, the university will award an estimated $13.5 million in institutional aid this year.

In 2011-2012, the average tuition after university, state and federal gift aid was $9,814 for full-time undergraduate students. This figure is competitive with public universities.

USF is also hoping to attract more adult students with previous credit hours who are looking to finish their degree through the newly formed Virtual Campus. Some of the options include the 12-month Master of Business Administration and the 12-month Registered Nurse to Bachelor of Science in Nursing. These fully online degrees have attracted a total of 35 students this term.

Ninety-four percent of 2011 Bachelor degree graduates who responded to the university's employment survey reported that they were either employed or enrolled full-time in a higher education program within six months of graduation.