Following a record number for freshman enrollment this fall, Tarleton State University will now consider applications after the March 1 priority deadline for incoming first- time freshman students.

“These deadlines are not firm deadlines; it’s just priority to apply before,” Dr. Javier Garza, Assistant Vice President for Enrollment Management, said.

“We want to track application and admission data and to count the applications in admissions that come throughout the year. We are tracking far ahead of where we were on the same date last year and wanted to make sure that we could accept the number of students so that we could serve them all well.”

Last year, 2,168 freshmen were enrolled. According to Garza, Tarleton is not looking to increase the number this fall.

“It’s a management step to make sure that the number of students that we take in is well accommodated by parking and housing as well,” Garza said.

“In 2014, we had roughly 2,073 is hand; in 2015, it dropped to 1,955. We want to make sure that we didn’t have so many students that just felt like they were crowded. We wanted to serve them in classes and through housing. We watch the numbers and regularly manage it.”

According to Garza, when prospective students visit campus, they talk about the family environment and how it feels like home; exactly what they are looking for.

“Some students feel a real connection to the core values and the way our student body and our faculty and staff are. They like the family feel; everything that makes Tarleton what it is makes them feel like they are coming home,” Garza said.

“It really is just a management. This is a step in trying to manage things to well serve our students and I think it’s a great step.”