Sacramento State retains record number of students during coronavirus pandemic
California State University, Sacramento, announced Tuesday its reached a record enrollment for the fall semester of more than 31,500 registered students, despite closing classrooms and moving all courses online due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
That’s 354 more students, or a 1% increase, compared with last year.
The university said it retained 84% of its first-year students, and more than 90% of its transfer students, according to a news release from Sacramento State officials.
And new and returning students are registered for more courses than five years ago, university officials said.
“These gains clearly demonstrate that an increasing number of Sac State students are steadily engaging in their studies and advancing toward a timely graduation,” James Dragna, executive director for University Initiatives and Student Success, said in a statement.
The uptick bucks a trend nationwide, as many university and college are reporting lower enrollment. Because of campus closures and the pandemic, undergraduate enrollment across the country this fall dipped 2.5% compared to the same period a year ago, according to preliminary data on fall enrollments from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center.
Sacramento State officials attribute the retention to the staff and administration’s new and creative ways to serve students during the pandemic. The university strives to have students finish their academic careers efficiently through their “Finish in Four” and “Through in Two” campaigns, officials said.
Dragna said universities that are integrated into communities like CSU, Sacramento have fared better with enrollment numbers compared to campuses that are much more isolated like Humboldt State.
Sacramento State officials also surveyed students, launched preset schedules based on students’ interests, career advising, and the time of day they preferred to attend online classes.
“Students and families were attracted to our more personalized schedules, especially with the time of COVID,” Dragna told The Sacramento Bee.
More than 482,000 students are enrolled in the California State University system, the largest four-year college system in the country.
The CSU system announced in September that its 23 campuses would primarily deliver courses virtually in the spring semester.
In July, CSU Chancellor Timothy White said that CSU students could be forced online for the rest of the academic year, and could continue to challenge officials for up to two years. His remarks came during a Capitol Hill hearing before the House Committee on Education and Labor.
The vast majority of students have not returned to any in-person instruction since campuses closed in March due to the coronavirus pandemic.
This story was originally published October 6, 2020 at 4:00 PM.