News & Events

Fall Enrollment at UC

This fall, 1,859 students are taking classes onsite at South Dakota Public Universities and Research Center (University Center) in Sioux Falls.  This represents a decline of 5.9% since last fall.

A pilot program developed to encourage access and persistence however, is making an impact. UC Foundations is a tuition reduction program that lowers the cost of many 100 and 200 level courses offered at University Center.  The number of students enrolled in UC Foundations courses has risen 12.5% since the program launched. 

Also noted is the continued growth in online enrollments from students who attend physically at University Center.  This fall, 41% of students taking courses face-to-face also take at least one online course.  University Center and online courses are both important strategies designed by the State Universities to encourage engagement and access for all students.  However, University Center includes in their headcount and FTE only students who physically attend a class onsite at the northwest Sioux Falls facilities.

For the fall 2013 semester, the number of full-time equivalent (FTE) students at University Center is 1069.  The FTE is determined based on credit hours taken at the undergraduate and graduate levels.  The large difference between University Center’s headcount enrollment and the FTE number points to the type of students who study at UC – individuals attending part-time while working full- or part-time jobs in and around Sioux Falls.  The average age of a student attending University Center is 26.