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Fort Lewis College’s overall enrollment up nearly 3.5%
FLC reported increases in continuing, undergraduate, graduate, and dual enrollment.
DURANGO, Colo.—Fort Lewis College saw a 3.47% increase in overall enrollment, marking gains in continuing, undergraduate, graduate, and dual enrollment despite several challenges, including the new FAFSA form and implementing a new student information system.
“I’m incredibly proud of our faculty and staff, especially those in Admission and Financial Aid who helped families navigate these challenges,” said Interim President Steve Schwartz. “We are excited to see growth in all areas.”
The increase includes a 2.2% rise in undergraduate enrollment, from 3,320 to 3,392 students. Graduate student enrollment also grew significantly, increasing from 105 to 152 students. Dual enrollment, which allows high school students to earn college credits, surged from 183 to 262 students this fall, highlighting the strength of FLC’s partnerships with regional high schools. Despite these gains, the college did see a 7.5% decline in first-year students.
Earlier in the recruitment season, there were concerns that changes to the Federal FAFSA form might deter potential students from applying for financial aid. Application numbers initially fell below expectations, heightening worries about student enrollment.
To address this, and with financial support from the FLC Foundation, the FLC Board of Trustees created a fund to assist returning students who were negatively impacted by the FAFSA changes but whose financial situation remained the same.
FLC also expanded its FLC Tuition Promise, offering free tuition to Colorado families earning less than $70,000 annually, among one of the most generous programs in the state.
“Our leadership made it a priority to give every student the best financial aid package possible,” said Dean of Student Enrollment Management Jess Savage, noting that FLC is still reviewing demographics and retention rates data. “As this is the first year with our new student data management system, we are taking extra care to ensure our data is accurate.”