Time Flies

It has been a busy summer at The Graduate School and elsewhere at the University of North Dakota. There’s a new website in development, a couple of new faces (we’ll introduce you to our new staff over the next couple of weeks), new projects and as much forward planning as we can manage!

It is hard to believe that in just a few short weeks, the halls and classrooms will be filled with new and returning students. So, we’re curious. How did you spend your summer? Did you spend time doing research or scholarship, or did you get out of town and explore new horizons?  And are you ready for the new school year? Send us your comment to share!

An all-time record enrollment in The Graduate School

Patiently we waited, and waited to learn what the all-important “4th week” enrollment count would reveal. The 4th week count is arbitrary but it comes after several early semester deadlines that can alter student enrollment behavior – late additions, students that withdraw or defer, for example.

Overall the University of North Dakota is experiencing its largest ever Spring time enrollment, with an increase in both the number of undergraduate and graduate students. Typically, Fall semester brings the largest number of new students in an academic year. Yet the past couple of years have shown that new graduate students don’t necessarily follow the traditional academic calendar, and our Spring enrollment numbers have remained steady with Fall, or even slightly increased.

The Graduate School was optimistic for an increase and we got it. Last night’s official 4th Week enrollment numbers showed the highest all-time number of graduate students enrolled at UND. And not by just a few. In the Fall of 2000, The Graduate School had an enrollment of 1452 students. In ten years, that number has increased by 899 students, with fairly steady growth over those years. Today our official number is 2,351 graduate students – an increase 62% over the past decade, and 8.7% over our Spring enrollment last year. This, at least, is the snapshot at 4th week. We look forward to serving even more students throughout the semester.

A new semester right around the corner

Monday morning, students will brave the cold, shake off the holiday slumber, and return to classes. Some of those students will begin new graduate programs.

As we did last fall, we will host a New Graduate Student Orientation on Monday, January 11.

If you’re a new student, it’s not too late to register for this orientation. (It’s easy, and it’s in My GradSpace.) We know the first semester of graduate school is a big gear shift, so we put together this orientation to help get students started on the right foot.

Keep checking back here to read about more upcoming events, as the Spring 2010 semester is chock full of exciting news from The Graduate School.