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Lamar University released its official Spring 2013 enrollment figure of 13,010 students today. “These numbers are good news for the university,” said Kevin Smith, senior associate provost. “Lamar is up .5 percent in headcount and 2.7 percent in credit hours compared to last spring.”

“With the new, higher requirements for freshman admission these are happily received numbers,” Smith said.

Lamar’s total semester credit hours increased to 141,900 over 138,225 in Spring 2012. All of Lamar’s colleges, except Fine Arts and Communication, were up in credit hours.

Head count was up sharply in the College of Engineering, Smith said, and is credited to new recruiting initiatives and scholarships.

Online programs also contributed to the strong numbers, with criminal justice, and Lamar’s master’s and doctoral programs in education leading the way.

Smith also noted that Lamar has set a new record with 403 students pursing doctoral degrees.

In using the same counting method as the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board for reporting headcount figures, Lamar’s numbers exclude flex-entry students whose courses don’t follow the traditional academic calendar. Due to start dates this semester, the enrollment of a large number of these students fall outside the official 20th class day count. The courses these students take, however, are included in the credit hour figures.

For more information on enrolling at Lamar University, visit BeACardinal.com or call 880-8316.