Over the past few years, UTSA’s enrollment has steadily risen and is now over 30,000. And the number of international students attending programs at UTSA has increased by 15.9 percent – 1,400 international students.

“These numbers show that UTSA has become a highly desirable choice for international students looking for somewhere to study and achieve a reputable college degree in the United States,” Julius Gribou, UTSA executive vice provost and senior international officer, said.

More space has been made to accommodate these students, but with the rapid pace, student enrollment has made scheduling classes difficult.

“I have been doing this for 11 years now; I have watched admissions grow from 18,000 to 30,000”, said Academic Scheduling Coordinator Donald Swinson. “UTSA has the lowest courses to classrooms ratio, I think, in the state. We have increased from 142 classrooms to 155, but we’re at our limit.”

“The undergraduate admissions office has been tweaking the admission process and [increasing] standards for admissions at UTSA,” Assistant Vice President and University Registrar Joe De-

Cristoforo said in regard to the rise in admissions.

The rise in the number of students at UTSA has been well received because of what this means for the university’s student life.

“I think the student increase is beneficial to the campus because there are more activities and clubs. It’s beginning to be more popular to attend UTSA, and overall, it will be a fun place to get an education,” junior health major Kelly Snyder said.

For incoming transfer students, such as English major Neda Ebrahimi, the transition from smaller schools to a larger university is a smooth one.

“This is my first year at UTSA, but compared to SAC this is huge. I like UTSA’s size though; it makes it feel like a real school,” Ebrahimi said.

According to DeCristoforo, UTSA’s graduate school is seeing the biggest boost in enrollment.

“We are pleased that an increasing number of international students are choosing UTSA. This trend is another indicator that UTSA’s reputation as an excellent educational institution is continuing to grow,” Vice Provost and Dean of the UTSA Graduate School Dorothy Flannagan said in a recent UTSA Today interview.

In 2000, UTSA only had 446 international program students. Currently, UTSA has over 1,400 students from, but not limited to India, Mexico, Saudi Arabia and China.