As the University of Houston-Victoria and other universities across the nation continue to weather the COVID-19 pandemic, the university has received positive news: preliminary spring enrollment is up more than 4 percent compared with this time last year.

As of Wednesday, the university’s 12th class day when preliminary enrollment must be reported to the state, UHV had 4,514 students enrolled, a 4.5 percent increase from last year’s preliminary spring enrollment of 4,319. The growth included increases in enrollment, especially undergraduate student enrollment, in all three of the university’s academic schools.

Glenn Bob

“I continue to be encouraged by our enrollment numbers because I believe it reflects UHV’s ability to bring about positive change in the lives of our students and their families,” UHV President Bob Glenn said. “As the word spreads about the quality and effect of what we are doing, I expect to see steady improvement and growth.”

Each of UHV’s three academic schools saw an increase in overall enrollment. The largest increase was in the School of Business Administration, which saw a 6.7 percent increase from last year’s preliminary enrollment. The School of Education, Health Professions & Human Development saw a 2.8 percent increase, and the School of Arts & Sciences experienced growth of 1.3 percent.

One element that contributed to the university’s growth was an overall increase of 4.9 percent in undergraduate admissions, including a 14.6 percent increase in the education school, 5.1 percent in the business school and 1.5 percent in Arts & Sciences. The School of Business Administration also experienced a 10 percent increase in graduate enrollment.

Another area of growth for the university was an increase in student retention at all levels. Overall, the university saw 8.4 percent more students return to continue their education at UHV compared with last spring. That includes a 13.8 percent increase in graduate students, 10.2 percent in returning freshmen, 3.3 percent in sophomores, 2.3 percent in juniors and 8.3 percent in returning seniors. The university’s international student enrollment stayed consistent with last year’s numbers.

In addition to the growth in preliminary student enrollment compared with this time in 2020, UHV has seen an increase in the number of credit hours students are taking. Preliminary numbers show students taking 42,277 hours, a 3.7 percent increase compared with last year.

Jose Cantu

This is the second semester in a row that UHV experienced growth in spite of the pandemic, which has caused institutions across the nation to see decreases in enrollment. UHV was well positioned to handle the shift to online learning because the university has a history of offering quality online classes long before the pandemic, said Jose Cantu, UHV vice president for enrollment management.

“UHV has consistently bucked national enrollment trends, and a major part of that is the quality of the people at our university,” Cantu said. “All of our staff members work tirelessly to serve students’ needs, from recruiters and academic advisors to the marketing team, financial aid advisors and others. In addition, we have outstanding faculty members who match that commitment by bringing excellence to learning both online and in person. The increases we’ve seen are evidence of UHV’s universal commitment to excellence.”