CSU Dominguez Hills Opens Semester with Record Enrollment

California State University, Dominguez Hills opened its 2009-2010 academic year with a record number of students.

As of September 28, Census Day, CSU Dominguez Hills had 14,483 students enrolled in classes, exceeding last year’s enrollment at this time by more than 1,600 students, a nearly 12 percent increase. This is the first time that the university has surpassed 14,000 students in its 49-year history.

“We are very proud of this significant achievement and believe it is reflective of the university’s strong academic offerings and the excellent faculty and staff who are passionate about student success,” said CSU Dominguez Hills President Mildred García.

The record enrollment comes at a time when the university faces another record, the largest budgetary cut in its history — $16.1 million or 22 percent of its general operating fund. CSU Dominguez Hills is addressing that cut through furloughs to faculty and staff, the CSU systemwide student fee increase, and cuts to all divisions.

Despite budget cuts, CSU Dominguez Hills has been able to add class sections for core courses to accommodate the increase in students. Some classes did become larger, as well, but CSU Dominguez Hills continues to offer many small classes, which promote a robust student-teacher interaction.

“In this difficult economic climate, our university will continue to be more strategic in our operations and focus on what is essential, serving our students so they have the best educational experience possible," President García said.

The university also saw a record-number of full-time equivalent students (FTES) attending this semester, which officials say does help the budget situation. The CSU Chancellor’s Office uses FTES to determine each campus’s budgetary allocation of state funds. The FTES count at CSU Dominguez Hills this fall is 10,223, up from 8,846 in fall 2008.

Due to the CSU Chancellor’s Office closing or limiting enrollment for winter and spring 2010 in order to align systemwide enrollment to state funding, the increase in fall enrollment at CSU Dominguez Hills should offset any loss of incoming students in spring, officials said.

Now through November 30 is the priority application period for admission in Fall 2010, and students are encouraged to get their applications in early.

To learn more about what CSU Dominguez Hills has to offer, visit www.csudh.edu/futurestudents or attend the upcoming A Day at Dominguez open house on Saturday, Oct. 24, from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on the campus. Information about A Day at Dominguez is available at www.csudh.edu/futurestudents or by calling (888)CSUDH-4U (278-3448).

- Amy Bentley-Smith