UT Arlington enrollment tops 50,000

Enrollment of Texas-based students at the University of Texas at Arlington jumped 6 percent to a record 38,650 for the spring 2016 semester, pushing overall enrollment over 50,000 students, the university said Tuesday.

The biggest gainers were the College of Engineering, now the third-largest in Texas, and the College of Nursing and Health Innovation, which saw enrollment increases of 13 and 16 percent, respectively. UTA said the nursing college is the now the largest producer of trained nurses in the state and the third-largest in the U.S.

The College of Education added 4 percent.

UTA’s enrollment increased 4.4 percent over the fall semester, bucking the traditional decline in student populations that colleges usually experience from fall to spring registration.

“These numbers continue to demonstrate that UTA is increasingly an institution of first choice for students across Texas and globally, due to our faculty of national renown, cutting-edge research and focus on maintaining accessibility and affordability,” UTA President Vistasp Karbhari said in a statement. “We are increasingly providing our students with unique experiences such as undergraduate research opportunities that distinguish UTA in the collegiate landscape.”

UTA says it keeps an eye on helping Texas students attain a degree “of quality in areas of critical need.”

The news follows the announcement last week that UT Arlington has achieved the highest ranking of U.S. research universities by the Carnegie Classification.

“UTA is committed to expanding every opportunity for Texans to earn their college degrees and to creating innovative partnerships that smooth the path for students,” said Linda Johnsrud, interim provost and vice president for academic affairs.

Enrollment of Texans has increased 102.8 percent since 2000.

UTA now has 50,661 students on campus and in online degree programs, and the university estimates that it will reach 55,000 this year as new sections of online nursing and education degrees begin.

This story was originally published February 9, 2016 at 7:57 PM with the headline "UT Arlington enrollment tops 50,000."