News

Portland State University begins its 2005-06 academic year today with a projected 25,011 students attending classes — continuing a trend of ten consecutive years of enrollment growth.

Current campus enrollment numbers are unofficial estimates based on year-to-year comparisons, applications, actual enrollments and continuing education students. The Oregon University System will release official 4th-week enrollment numbers for the 2005-06 academic year in November.

“This marks the beginning of an exciting year for Portland State University,” said PSU President Dan Bernstine. “We welcome the largest number of students in our history, which is a positive reflection of the University’s growing regional, national and international reputation. PSU offers students a high quality curriculum, opportunities to work with faculty in research, and strong connections to business, industry, and the community.”

Fall 2005 End of Term Enrollment Projections for Portland State University
* Total enrollment: 25,011 (Fall 2004 end of term enrollment was 24,222—an approximate 3.3% increase over last fall);

* New transfers: 2,730, a nearly 7.4% increase over last fall (2,541)

* Ph.D students: 532, just over 5.1% increase over last fall (506)

* Top five declared undergraduate majors: psychology, business administration: management, art, biology, business administration: accounting.

New Programs, Faculty and Honors
* New Ph.D.: The new doctoral program in Applied Psychology responds to demand for the specialty and the applied focus of the degree as documented by professional societies, Department of Labor forecasts and by increased numbers of applicants for graduate study in the field. The program trains research professionals with the tools and expertise to contribute to defining and solving significant problems facing society today. Program concentrations within the Applied Psychology doctoral program include Industrial and Organizational Psychology, Applied Social and Community Psychology, and Applied Developmental Psychology.

* New Faculty: Almost 60 new instructional faculty members have joined the PSU campus community, including seven in the Maseeh College of Engineering and Computer Science. For a listing of faculty and other administrative staff positions announced at the 2005 PSU Convocation program, please see http://oaa.pdx.edu/NewsAndEvents.

* Curriculum Honored: For the fourth year in a row, Portland State University’s curriculum is among the best in the nation, according to U.S. News & World Report. The magazine’s “America’s Best Colleges 2006,” features Portland State under the section “Choosing a School: Programs to Look For” in five categories: Internships/Co-Ops, Senior Capstone, First-Year Experiences, Learning Communities and Service Learning. Portland State University was also selected as one of 122 “Best Colleges in the West” by the Princeton Review’s, The Best 361 Colleges, 2006 Edition. The book contains surveys from over 110,000 students at 361 colleges and is designed as a guide to help future students decide which college is best for them.

Portland State University, Oregon's only urban university, is the largest and most diverse in the state system. The University's position in Oregon's economic and cultural center allows for deep community engagement and the creation of partnerships with hundreds of organizations throughout the region — partnerships that give PSU students valuable learning opportunities as they solve real-world problems of business and community. Portland State offers more than 100 undergraduate, master's, and doctoral degrees, as well as graduate certificates and continuing education programs. PSU serves more students and confers more master's degrees annually than any other Oregon university.

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Source:
Lina Lu (503-725-3420)
Office of Institutional Research and Planning

For Immediate Release (#05-131)