NEWS|Undergraduate enrollment increases by 20%; hits university's target figures

Undergraduate enrollment increases by 20%; hits university’s target figures

Roxan D. Resuello

As gradual face-to-face classes resume for AY 2022-2023, PHINMA-University of Pangasinan Dagupan Campus sees a hefty increase in undergraduate enrollment for the first semester.

The current student population of the tertiary department is 17, 620. This number makes up the six college departments, including the College of Management and Accountancy (CMA), College of Allied Health Sciences (CAHS), College of Engineering and Architecture (CEA), College of Education and Liberal Arts (CELA), College of Information Technology Education (CITE), and College of Criminal Justice Education (CCJE).

CMA holds the greatest number of enrollees, comprising 28% of the total population, with 4,984 students. CAHS comes second with 4,702 enrolled students in BS Nursing, BS Medical Laboratory Science, BS Pharmacy, and BS Psychology, respectively.

CEA enrollees closed at 24%, with 4,302 students under the Engineering and Architecture programs. The CELA, on the other hand, takes 1,505 students in their department.

Both comprising approximately 6% of the population, the CITE, and CCJE tabulated close enrollment rates. One thousand five hundred five students are enrolled under the BS Information Technology program, while 1,022 are under CCJE’s BS Criminology program.

According to the university Registrar, Ms. Liberty Soriano, the increase in enrollment rates this year reached 20% compared to AY 2021-2022. Therefore, collectively hitting the target enrollment for this year.

She says a significant increase has been mapped out in the university’s enrollment target as the management looks forward to better numbers from one year to another.

When asked about how this surge affects classroom assignments for students, Ms. Soriano says, “The increase in population will normally increase demand in classrooms. However, we have the FLEX 2-4 Strategy as part of the transition from remote to F2F classes.’’

“We are not fully F2F, yet we are not fully at online or remote/distance learning. This approach ushers the way to allow our students and faculty to adjust towards the new normal,” she adds.

Ms. Soriano clarified that once the university goes on full face-to-face operations, room shortage is least likely to be an issue, especially with the construction of the new 8-story building on the campus.

She firmly states, “In time for the full F2F, we have plans for expanding room availability. On top of that, we are excited for the full operations of the new structure being built now at the new space in Nable area.”

Ms. Soriano shares that when the first semester and second semester population is viewed in numbers, ‘’we look at a lower number to account for some factors.’’

However, despite the historical figures, she says that for the second semester of this year, ‘’at least a 15% increase is a good thing to look forward to--we have more lives to touch.’’