Utah Valley University Concurrent Enrollment is taking leaps and bounds with its growth in more aspects than one. The department’s efforts during the 2024-2025 school year have only shown this further. More high school students than ever are choosing to take these college classes in high school to get ahead in their futures.
Concurrent Enrollment students currently make up 35% of UVU’s overall population. The department grows each semester, with 16,696 students registered for fall semester, and full-year classes, and 10,124 students registered for this spring semester. Not only is this an 8.10% increase from the 2023 fall semester, but it also was a record-breaking spring semester with a 10% growth from the 2024 spring semester.
These new students have now made UVU’s Concurrent Enrollment program the biggest in the state, one of the largest in the West, and a nationally leading program. As the program continues to grow, more high school students in Utah are taking advantage of the wonderful opportunity to save not only semesters of time, but also thousands of dollars spent on their college education. This growth would not be possible without the partnership and collaboration of each of the departments and colleges from UVU who are supportive and helpful in Concurrent Enrollment’s new initiatives and students.
Of this extraordinary growth of Concurrent Enrollment, Alison Jensen, the Director of Enrollment Services said this, “I think reaching this 8.10% growth in the fall reflects the rising demand for Concurrent Enrollment and the ability of our team to reach that demand sufficiently.”
To keep up with this continual increase of students, the Concurrent Enrollment team has grown as well. The team now has thirty people and four teams, comprised of the Enrollment Services, Advising, Academic Success & Partnerships, and the Engagement teams. The teams work to create effective and efficient educational experiences for high school students who extend their academic paths by choosing to take harder, higher-level classes.
Concurrent Enrollment’s Senior Director Spencer Childs said this of the program’s team, “I think our team strives to be responsive and student centric.” He continued, “We really believe that if we focus on the students and their journey, admission to registration, we can constantly evolve our process for students, parents, and high school coordinators.”
Over the past two semesters, Concurrent Enrollment has also gained 96 new instructors and 65 new sections. These amazing instructors are high school teachers who put in extra work to provide their students with opportunities to get ahead in their academic futures.
“High school teachers that decide to teach Concurrent Enrollment basically teach double,” said Todd Olsen, Director of Academic Success & Partnerships. “They need to be able to be the best of the best to keep up with the work included in teaching a high school and a college course at the same time.”
The Academic Success & Partnerships Team has not stopped there. Concurrent Enrollment is proud to announce that there will be 10 new online courses for all Concurrent Enrollment high school students in the 2025 fall semester. These courses are general education class that will be taught by UVU professors online.
The efforts of the past year have not stopped with registration numbers and new instructors. Concurrent Enrollment has also increased their interactions with their amazing high school students.
The past two semesters have brought with it 81 Concurrent Enrollment events both in the high schools and bringing these academically inclined students to UVU’s Orem Campus to see the benefits of continuing to be a Wolverine. Concurrent Enrollment has also partnered with five of the seven colleges on campus, putting on events for the high school students that advance their academic skills and help them see further opportunities for themselves.
The Concurrent Enrollment department’s very mission statement is to empower high school students to take a step forward in their future by providing them with college courses that are accessible, affordable, and high quality. The program has more than succeeded in that mission in these past two semesters by helping more students to become aware of the chance to get ahead in their future and become a Wolverine, now accounting for 35% of the university’s population, employing and training new instructors who work daily to help their students, and by interacting with the great students whenever possible.
The Associate Director of Engagement, Lucy Stoddart, perfectly sums up the importance and benefits of Concurrent Enrollment. “Concurrent Enrollment is a great opportunity for every student! It’s an affordable and accessible way for students to begin their college career while in high school. It can help them get ahead and allow them to explore interests before they graduate.”
Concurrent Enrollment is grateful for its campus partners, instructors, coordinators, and especially their high school Wolverines who have helped the program grow into what it is today!
