University Advancement

Public Relations and Strategic Communications

NEWS RELEASE

Cal State Northridge Enrollment/Applications at Record Highs for Fall 2006

(NORTHRIDGE, Calif., Oct. 18, 2006) -- Cal State Northridge reinforced its status as an academic powerhouse and top draw for the region by setting new records in fall 2006 for student enrollment and applications, both of which spiked upward by about 4 percent over last year’s numbers.

The university welcomed 34,560 students for fall 2006, 1,317 more than in fall 2005.

A record 36,357 applications to CSUN resulted in 25,012 students accepted for fall 2006, also continuing a steady upward trend in recent years. Applications for fall 2000, for example, were at 22,826, with 16,168 acceptances. Since then, applications have averaged an increase of more than 2,000 per year, with a bumper crop in fall 2005, when 34,809 applications bested the previous year’s by 6,325.

Fall 2006 census results for the entire California State University system will not be available until later in the semester. But CSU officials are preparing for an additional 10,000 students, about a 2 percent head¬count increase over fall 2005, when 405,282 students were in attendance at the system’s 23 campuses.

"California State University, Northridge, continues to attract students to programs that have earned a reputation for quality and academic rigor," said Mary Baxton, associate director of admissions and transfer articulation. "At Northridge, we fully embrace the concept of the ‘learning-centered university,’ and we are pleased that a record number of students will experience the benefits of that philosophy this year."

A look at the university’s census in recent years shows student headcount climbing steadily. Though space and budget limitations forced a limit on fall 2004 applications, enrollment for the following year resumed its more typical upward trend.

The headcount for fall 2006 shows nearly 5,500 more students than the number enrolled at CSUN in fall 2000. At that time, 29,066 were registered for classes. The following year, the number grew to 31,448, rising to 33,579 in fall 2002 but declining slightly in the next two years, when a state budget squeeze forced cutbacks and economies at all public education institutions.

By fall 2005, however, enrollment registered about a 5 percent hike over the previous year’s 31,341 headcount. Fall 2006’s 34,560 headcount represents an all-time high for the university.