Data for SuccessFirst-time Freshmen

Age Ranges of First-time Freshmen

As the freshman class has grown over the past twenty years, so has the number of entering freshmen who are 18 years of age. Of interest, fewer students younger than 18 are now entering NMSU as compared to Fall 1988. Also the number of older (21 and older) entering students has declined. Overall, NMSU's freshman class has become younger, and more predominantly 18 during the past twenty years and continues to do so.

Ethnicity of First-time Freshmen

Over the past twenty years, NMSU has changed from a White/Other majority freshman population to a "Minority Majority" freshman population. The Hispanic population has increased from about 30% in 1988 to more than 45% of the freshman population in 2008. Although the American Indian population decreased slightly in 1998, it is larger in 2008 than it was in 1988. Additional growth has occurred with Black students and Asian American students. Although not considered as minority students, NMSU has also experienced a larger percentage of international freshmen in the past five years.

Gender of First-time Freshmen

The 1988 freshman class was split down the middle, half male and half female. As the subsequent 10, 15 and 20 year snapshots indicate slightly more women have since entered NMSU as freshmen each year than have men.

NMSU Full-time/Part-time Status of First-time Freshmen

Since 1988, students who compose the Freshman Cohort have predominantly attended NMSU as full-time students. Including courses enrolled on NMSU's branch campuses, an even greater percentage of entering freshmen attend full-time now than in the past.

Main Campus Full-time/Part-time Status of First-time Freshmen

This graph represents full-time status based on hours enrolled on Main Campus only (hours enrolled on the branch campuses are excluded). While it may appear that freshman growth at NMSU has been fueled by an increase in part-time students, this is actually reflective of a change in policy regarding remedial education. In 1998, students were still permitted to enroll in remedial classes on Main campus, thus the remedial hours would count towards full-time status. By 1990, remedial education was restricted to NMSU's branch campuses, thus students taking remedial courses tend to have fewer hours on main campus. See next graph.

Remedial Course Enrollments of First-time Freshmen

Fewer freshmen take remedial courses (English and Mathematics) now than twenty years ago, although all of the remedial courses are taken at a branch campus. The drop in remediation was evident by 1998, and is related to implementation of admission requirements that were begun in 1986. While the percent of freshmen who took remedial courses increased in 2003, fewer of the Fall 2008 freshmen needed remedial courses than in the other time snapshots.

Enrollment of First-time Freshmen by College

The College of Arts & Sciences, with its wide array of majors and undecided students, continues to enroll more entering freshmen than the other colleges. The College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences has achieved the most growth over the past twenty years, while the College of Business and the College of Health and Social Services have fewer students than in 1988. However, the drop of students from 1988 in the College Health and Social Services was caused by moving the undecided students to the College of Arts and Sciences in the early '90s. The College of Education has shown steady growth, while the College of Engineering stopped a slow decline in enrollments with a large number of entering students this year.