The University of Lethbridge will begin its 47th academic year with approximately 11 per cent more first-year students – a number which could increase as the final three weeks of registration take place before the start of the school year in September.

To date, 1,116 students just out of high school students are registered to begin classes this fall, attending the U of L from across Alberta, Canada and from around the world.

"We are very pleased to see increases in our high school student enrolments, as it reflects the great work our recruitment team has done over the past year to encourage students to choose the U of L, and Lethbridge, for their post-secondary education experience," said Dr. Andy Hakin, the U of L's Provost and Vice-President Academic.

"At this time last year, we recorded 1,002 new high school students. An additional 114 students might not seem like a huge number, but to us it says that more people are recognizing and valuing what the U of L has to offer in terms of our first-rate academic programs and excellent student experience."

Hakin said the number of students from Calgary continues to increase, alongside students from the immediate Lethbridge area.

"To date, our registrations from students living in Calgary are up nearly 35 per cent over this time last year, and we are also experiencing a 16 per cent increase over last year in local high school students choosing to attend the U of L.

Hakin said recruitment staff members have been following up with students who have been admitted but have not yet formally registered, and are also checking on international students who may be delayed by visa challenges caused by a Canadian foreign service worker strike at international visa processing centres.

"Even with the visa approval issues, we are ahead of last year by more than 40 per cent (or 20 students). We are hopeful that we can help those few remaining international students attend once current visa challenges are resolved."

Hakin said that these initial statistics indicate the institution is on track to meet its fall registration targets, and anticipates that the U of L will host approximately 8,300 students in the fall.

"A formal enrolment figure is released following a mid-September deadline, to ensure an accurate count of students who have registered late, added courses, or changed programs. These numbers give us a lot of encouragement and enthusiasm as we begin the new school year. We are delighted to be the destination of choice for so many new students."