ETSU’s fall 2002 enrollment of full-time equivalent students increased 1.7 percent from last year due to students taking heavier loads this fall.
Although the full-time equivalency (FTE) has increased, ETSU’s headcount has increased less than one percent making the overall head count at 11,613, including 233 medical students and 250 physicians enrolled in seven residency programs and five fellowship programs through the James H. Quillen College of Medicine.
Dr. Linda Doran, vice provost of Academic Affairs, said that an increase in transfer enrollment, which is up 3.8 percent FTE, and graduate enrollment, which is up 7.4 percent FTE, affected the overall FTE increase.
Doran said that some graduate programs have experienced dramatic growth such as the computer science program, which is up 50 percent. She also commented that many College of Business graduate programs in accounting and business administration have grown significantly.
Many students are taking heavier loads, which have affect on the overall FTE increase, but this number exceeds the overall ETSU headcount. First-time freshman enrollment is about the same as last fall according to Dr. Doran.
“ETSU enrollment has remained essentially steady over the last several years, with small increases that reflect the demogrphics of this region,” Doran said. “A majority of our undergraduate students come from the 15 counties of upper East Tennessee”
Many undergraduates come from community colleges close to this area such as Northeast State, Walters State, Pellissippi State and other community colleges in Tennessee and Virginia.

Author