Fresno Pacific University is celebrating a modest enrollment boost in both the undergraduate and graduate programs while welcoming more than 1,200 new students.

The overall enrollment grew 1.9% in the current academic year compared to last year, the university announced in a news release.

Fresno Pacific, a private Christian university headquartered in southeast Fresno, had struggled with declining enrollments in recent years that required the university to cut costs, including staff layoffs and the elimination of some degree programs.

“We are encouraged to see enrollment momentum across all populations,” President Dr. André Stephens said. “It’s about so much more than just the numbers. Every one of these students is a life that will be transformed through the Christ-centered education we offer at FPU.”

In August, the university announced the addition of Amanda Slaughter as vice president of enrollment management.

Biggest Graduate Class in History

In the current academic year the graduate and seminary programs enrollments grew by 1.9%, with 364 new students and 1,004 returning students. The 1,368 students make up the largest graduate class in the university’s history.

In the traditional undergraduate degree program, 326 new students enrolled alongside 496 returning students, expanding undergraduate enrollment by 3.9%. “For traditional undergrad, the team has done really well,” said Donald Norman, Fresno Pacific president’s chief of staff.

In the bachelor’s degree completion programs, 206 new students enrolled along with 548 returning students. While the enrollment total is nearly identical to last year, the number of units students are enrolling in is up more than 10%.

“For the second fall in a row we’re seeing evidence that more students are taking more units,” Norman said, which allows them to graduate sooner.