Enrollment for the spring semester has risen from last year’s 5,420 students to 5,608 this year, a 188 student increase as of Feb. 8.

While 5,646 total students are registered for this semester, only 5,608 have completed registration. This includes students in the undergraduate and graduate programs who have completed both phases of the registration process including payments.

The Office of the Registrar will not know the final numbers for a few weeks, but 5,592 students are expected to be attending the university after the late registration process, according to reports released by the Registrar.

Talbot experiences lower enrollment

Although the total number of students has increased, the numbers for Talbot School of Theology, the School of Education, Cook School of Intercultural Studies, Rosemead School of Psychology, and Crowell School of Business have gone down from last year’s numbers. Talbot has the largest deficit from last year’s reports, with a decrease of 42 students, while the latter schools have decreased enrollment by less than 10 students.

Four year graduation rates decreasing nationally

While the number of students is increasing, however, the number of those graduating in four years is decreasing.

According to a recent report released by the National Center for Education Statistics which surveyed more than 6,700 institutions, 57 percent graduated within six years. Out of those who graduated within the six years, 37 percent graduated in four years and 53 percent in five years.

Averaging Biola’s graduation rates

Biola’s most recent graduation report averages four incoming freshmen classes who entered Biola in the 2000, 2001, 2002 and 2003 school years. Calculating the total number of graduates within those four cohorts who graduated in six years or less, Registrar recorded the graduation rate averaging at 69.4 percent.

“The graduation rates of four cohorts of freshman classes were averaged to smooth out any oddities and to eliminate any outliers to get the most accurate percentage,” said Laura Springer of Biola Institutional Research.

Because there are possibilities of cohorts collectively exceeding average performance one year and having a number of drop-outs for various reasons including financial constraints the next year, averaging the numbers over a four year period is necessary, Springer said.