Both Denton universities grew again this year, in students and in the number of credit hours students are taking.

The University of North Texas topped 34,000 students for the first time, and Texas Woman’s University topped 12,000 students for the first time.

But leaders at both schools hailed more vigorously the increases in the number of credit hours their students were taking.

“We put a very concerted emphasis on timely graduation,” said Troy Johnson, UNT’s associate vice president for enrollment management. “More courses per student per semester is the formula for a speedy graduation.”

In addition to educating parents and students about the financial benefits of taking larger course loads, the university’s new tuition policy has helped increase students’ credit hours, Johnson said.

Beginning this fall, UNT’s full-time students pay tuition and fees for 15 credit hours, no matter how many credits they take. So students pay less per class if they take more than 15 credit hours, and they pay more per class if they take less than 15 hours.

Part-time students, those who take 11 hours or fewer, pay a straight rate per credit hour.

TWU leaders also saw their students enroll in more courses, on average, than last year.

Teresa Mauk, TWU’s assistant vice president for enrollment services, said state education leaders are putting a lot more pressure on colleges to improve their graduation rates.

“We’ve tried to stress this, not just with our existing students, but also with our incoming students,” Mauk said. “We tell them that we want them to focus and we want them to finish in four years, if possible.”

UNT reported 34,268 students, while TWU reported 12,183.

Those numbers could change slightly before the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board certifies them in December.

UNT, which has been Texas’ fourth largest university in enrollment, is closing in on the University of Houston, which has had declining enrollment in recent years.

The University of Houston, which enrolled 34,334 students last fall, expects to report its enrollment for this year on Monday, said Richard Bonnin, a spokesman for the university.

Both UNT and TWU also reported steady increases in the number of minority students on their campuses.

This year, black students make up 12.6 percent of UNT’s enrollment and Hispanic students make up 11.2 percent.

TWU is pleased that black students make up nearly 19 percent of its student body and Hispanics account for 14 percent, Mauk said

“We have always had a good reputation with minority students because we do a good job of seeing them through,” she said.

MATTHEW ZABEL can be reached at 940-566-6884. His e-mail address is mzabel@dentonrc.com .

Enrollment grew at both the University of North Texas and Texas Woman’s University compared with last fall.

SOURCES: UNT, TWU