5 percent increase expected in spring enrollment at UNLV

Shaunta Grimes

Friday, Nov. 26, 1999 | 10:42 a.m.

UNLV student enrollment is expected to increase 5 percent for the spring semester over last spring, university officials say. It's another step toward having all the students UNLV can handle, one official said.

The university is not at the point where it cannot accept more students, Juanita Fain, vice president for admissions, said. University officials don't know the maximum number of students the school can handle, Fain said, but it watches its limits constantly.

"We aren't there yet," she said. "But every year there's an increase, it brings us closer."

Once that number is reached, more resources will be needed before more students can be enrolled. In a classic Catch-22, Fain said, "The way to get more revenue is to increase enrollment."

Spring enrollment is expected to be slightly lower than fall enrollment, she said. Slightly more than 23,300 students enrolled last fall compared with 21,000 in spring 1999. Enrollment for the new semester is expected to be 22,050 students.

The university has been increasing its enrollment by opening regional campuses. Last fall UNLV began offering courses in Henderson.

UNLV spring enrollment begins Wednesday and lasts through Jan. 14 for classes that start Jan. 18, Fain said.

Traditionally during the spring semester, the university gains fewer new students and loses some who began their educations in the fall.

Spring enrollment for the Community College of Southern Nevada begins Monday for returning students via phone or Internet and Dec. 8 on campus for all students. Enrollment continues until Jan. 28 for classes starting Jan. 24.

Community college officials have not yet projected the percentage of enrollment increase expected this spring. The 28,000 students enrolled in spring 1999 represented a 5.7 percent increase over the previous spring semester, said Joe West, director of institutional research and planning.

West said although money and space are always in high demand at the community college, there is no danger of the school reaching a point where students are turned away. "A community college is open access. It wouldn't be right to turn students away," he said.

In 1997 CCSN offered a winter mini-semester on a trial basis, an experiment it is not repeating this year. Tuition from enrollment that year did not cover the cost of the program, an admissions spokeswoman said. UNLV has not offered a winter semester in years, Fain said.