BYU-Idaho is hit by enrollment wave

REXBURG, Idaho (AP) — Brigham Young University-Idaho is scrambling to make room for about 2,000 more students than anticipated.

More than 13,500 students are enrolled this fall, a record. Rigby Hall, traditionally an all-male dorm, was opened to women for the first time.

"It's extremely crowded. Traffic and parking are terrible," freshman Ashlee Domeny said.

Enrollment has been climbing since 2001, when the campus began a transition to BYU-Idaho from a two-year school called Ricks College.

A 15,000-seat auditorium is in the works, and administrators also plan to expand the student center.

This year's wave caught the school by surprise. About 65 percent of applicants accepted at BYU-Idaho actually enroll, but this year most decided to attend, said Roy Huff of the academic administration department.