The University of Louisiana at Lafayette prepares for another semester as students moved back into dorms over the past two weekends and the first day of classes begin today.

Despite economic challenges, the university reports a steady increase in enrollment and graduation numbers.

The number of degrees is earned at a higher rate. The overall number of degrees awarded in the past nine years has grown by 43 percent.

As state budget cuts came into play, the school adopted a new revenue strategy to meet student, faculty and staff needs.

“We assess them and find out what their needs are. We talk about their skill set and what major is going to suit them best and also speak to them about other situations that may impact them individually. Because each student is different, so you have to assess the student to determine what their needs are and fulfill those needs,” said Jessie Broussard from Student Support Services for Veterans.

The university now relies more on auxiliary business operations, private philanthropy, research funding, sponsorships and licensing opportunities and aggressive recruiting and student retention strategies.

“Students have to look forward to, of course, coming back to this beautiful campus and there wonderful support system that they have here. In addition to that, the TOPS funding has been fully refunded so we’re pleased about and I’m sure many students who are receiving TOPS, as some of my veterans do, are very excited about that as well.”

The university’s self-funded capital outlay program allows for new advancements to the campus. There is about a 37.5 million-dollar investment in major repair projects underway this year.