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Status lures in students

For Shafaq Moosa, choosing the right college to attend was not a difficult task.

The incoming business freshman, who is one of thousands that applied to UH, said the University was one of many that accepted her application. Moosa selected UH over the other schools because of the University’s Tier One recognition.

“It makes me feel better (to know that UH is Tier One) because I know I am going to a really good school,” Moosa said.

UH is seeing a record-breaking number of freshman applicants for the Fall 2011 semester. Jeff Fuller, director of student recruitment in the Office of Admissions, attributes the increase in enrollment to the school’s distinction as a Tier One institution.

“We think that definitely the Tier One status and recognition by Princeton Review as one of the best universities in the United States are two key factors that have led us to have the numbers that we have,” Fuller said.

The number of completed freshman applications for the Fall 2011 semester stands at 14,546, which is an increase from last fall’s record number of 12,656.

Though the deadline for fall admission has ended, the Office of Admissions is still working on getting a total for the number of completed applications for this year, which will happen later on in the week, Fuller said.

He said he expects roughly 40 percent of the number of applicants to register for fall classes, based on trends from 2008 to 2010.

Moosa has already attended orientation and registered for the fall semester.

“I’m excited to finally get out of high school and to start my education to get a degree,” she said.

The number of transfer student applicants is also on the rise, although the numbers reflect an insignificant increase from last year.

The number of Fall 2011 transfers stands at 5556 — a slight increase from last year’s 5544 applicants.

Fuller said the final number of transfer applicants won’t be known until after the final mandatory transfer student orientation in August.

The Office of Admissions is working closely with other departments on campus, including the housing department, to build a strategy that will accommodate the growing number of incoming students.

The office is also working on recruiting students from across the state.

“Texas is unique in the fact that we are one of half a dozen states in the nation to have a growing population of high school students,” he said. “And so we are definitely taking full advantage of that and that is why the university has dedicated full-time presence in areas outside of Houston.”

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4 Comments

  • Having "Tier One" status will just increase interest from students who are impressed with "Tier One" status.

  • I am so excited to be an alumni of the University of Houston. The reputation will continue to grow with the facilities being built and the improvements planned over just the next few years. The housing projects that have been completed along with at least three more on campus apartments/dorms to completed in the next few years will give UofH a tremendous campus atmosphere. Then add in the light rail that is going to make getting into DT and other areas so much easier for students.
    Go Coogs and take down UCLA on September 3rd. It is going to be a great atmosphere to introduce a lot of freshmen to what great football environment they can experience at the University of Houston.

  • Status does help…but there are many other factor why college and University have a increase enrollment…..economic…..etc.8P… Let tried to increase UH housing to level 90%….I might be impress…

  • The "tier 1" status does not mean much. It's not the same as the Tier 1 people thing of when they hear it such as U.S. news rankings etc. This Tier 1 just means UH got a certain amount of money. That's all. As a matter of fact, UH has been falling in the actual rankings for years. People need to quit being so naive. UH isn't anywhere near Tier 1. Sure, I attend UH and would like it, but I hate it when people are lied to. UH isn't what it makes it out to be.

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