WVUP Enrollment Up

By Betsy Curry
As WVUP continues to reach out to gain partnerships with area public schools it is no surprise that the spring full-time enrollment has increased over last year’s enrollment by 2.5 percent, to 3,556.

We may think of the college as being diverse with the range of students beginning at 18 and continuing through till the late 60s. Traditional aged students, defined as those students less than 25 years of age, make up nearly 59 percent of the students attending the college. Non-traditional students are slightly less with 41.7 percent. Female students make up the majority of students with 63.6 percent, as males add 36.4 perecent to the total.

With the help of President Marie Foster Gnage, WVUP continues to improve and allow more opportunities for students to access courses and programs. The Parkersburg campus is the only community college in West Virginia accredited to offer baccalaureate programs. The Associate in Arts currently has the most students enrolled with 659. Nursing comes in second with 436. Beginning with December 2005 graduation, the Regents Bachelor of Arts has been awarded by the Parkersburg campus instead of from Morgantown as in the past. More than 284 students declared RBA their major in the spring semester.

WVUP currently services seven surrounding counties, including Jackson, Pleasants, Ritchie, Roane, Tyler, Wirt, and Wood. Wood and Jackson County make up most of the school’s population with 60 percent of the residents residing in Wood and 19 percent in Jackson County.