BYU-Idaho Winter 2009 Enrollment

REXBURG, Idaho - The number of students attending Brigham Young University-Idaho in Winter Semester 2009 has slightly decreased when compared to Winter semester 2008.

Official enrollment statistics show the headcount standing at 12,667 students compared to 13,292 students a year ago-a 4.7 percent decrease from Winter semester 2008.

The level of full-time equivalent (FTE) students has also decreased from 11,769 to 11,474-a 2.5 percent drop from last year. FTE is calculated by taking the total number of credits for all students and dividing it by 15.

Last year, BYU-Idaho was at the "high end" of their target enrollment with 11,769 FTE students enrolled. BYU-Idaho projects that 11,600 FTE students will be enrolled each semester, and tries to cap enrollment at that number. With 11,474 FTE students officially enrolled for Winter 2009 semester, "we are within range of our projection for enrollment," Martin said.

There are two reasons enrollment has decreased, according to Kyle Martin, university registrar.

First, the number of students that were enrolled in the Spring and Fall 2008 semesters and then continued their enrollment into Winter 2009 slightly declined. In general, poor economic conditions are to blame for causing some students to discontinue their enrollment.

The second reason for the decline stems from a change in the way students are now counted. Off-campus students participating in opportunities such as internships or student teaching are no longer counted in the total headcount. "We have modified how we count students at BYU-Idaho to be more consistent with how the other Church schools count their students," Martin said.

Style Note: When reporting about Brigham Young University-Idaho, please use the complete name of the university in the first reference. On second reference, BYU-Idaho is preferred.