Garrett Neese/Daily Mining Gazette Michigan Technological University Board Chair Jeffrey Littman hands a football to Senate President Robert Hutchinson in recognition of the faculty’s role in helping enrollment rise to its highest level in 40 years.

HOUGHTON — Michigan Technological University’s Board of Trustees heard a fall enrollment update at its meeting Friday morning.

The fall enrollment of 7,320 is the highest since 1983, said Kyle Rubin, Tech’s assistant vice president for enrollment.

Applications were up 143% over last year, including 46% among admits. The biggest percentage gains in both categories came from U.S. residents outside Michigan (up 58% and 49%, respectively).

The largest jump in new students came from Illinois, which accounted for 100 new undergraduate students this year versus 60 to 70 in a typical year, Rubin said.

Tech also saw a retention rate of 87.6%, the highest in the past 15 years, and along with 2015, the only year with a rate at 87% or more.

Women made up 30% of enrollment, the first time Tech has reached that mark.

“As far back as records go, we’ve seen steady increases in both the proportion and number of women and Michigan Tech, and that’s gotten us where we are today,” Rubin said. “So it’s been a good number of years of strong effort all around.”

Incoming students’ grade-point average was 3.83, the highest in the school’s history. GPA inflation is only partially responsible, Rubin said; the increase among Tech freshmen outpaces the national rate.

In the graduate school, the largest increases in applications are coming from north African countries, Rubin said. India is also seeing steady increases in applications, while China has dropped somewhat.

The visa delays seen during COVID have eased, though appointments are still difficult to get, Rubin said.

“Even though they may apply and be accepted, they’re still having challenges getting these appointments, and funding,” Rubin said.

Thirty-eight students transferred from Finlandia University after it closed at the end of June. Twelve are in Tech’s new nursing program, developed last spring after the news of Finlandia. Another 12 are in the business college.

So everyone agrees it was a real challenge to see them close, but I think it also created a feel-good moment for our campus this year,” Rubin said. “I personally have not been here since we’ve had students walk across campus in scrubs. So that was a hit-home moment for some of us for sure.”

In other action, the board:

• Approved the submission of the five-year state capital outlay plan and capital project request for fiscal year 2025. The request includes the Center for Convergence and Innovation, a 110,000-square-foot building that would bring together students from the College of Computing and College of Business. The total project cost would be about $87 million, $30 million of which would come from the state.

• Approved a proposal for a bachelors of science degree in environmental data science.

• Approved an emeritus appointment for Peter Moran of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering.

• Accepted Fiscal Year 2023 audited financial statements. Plante & Moran, PLLC conducted the audit. Tech received a clean unmodified audit, the highest rating.