University of Arkansas enrollment increases nearly 2%

Enrollment figures at the University of Arkansas show the flagship campus has a total of 26,754 students for the fall semester, according to a preliminary enrollment snapshot taken Sept. 8.

The total is up almost 2% from the fall 2014 enrollment, a rate of growth that university administrators believe is sustainable. The enrollment growth continues to show improvement in both academic quality and diversity of the student body, the university stated in the release.

“We’ve come a long way since I was in this seat before,” interim Chancellor Daniel E. Ferritor said. “The student body has grown not only in size, but in quality, following a long-term plan put in place to increase the size, quality and academic reputation of the university.

“But it’s not just enough to get them here. We need to support our students so they have the best educational experience we can give them,” Ferritor said. “And we will continue to focus on improving retention and graduation rates to continue to increase the number of Arkansans holding degrees.”

This fall’s freshman class of 4,916 students is among the largest seen at the UA, according to the preliminary numbers, with 345 students more than the 2014 freshman class.

Undergraduate and graduate student enrollments are each up this year, according to the preliminary numbers.

Suzanne McCray, dean of admissions and vice provost for enrollment management reported that there are a record 22,158 undergraduate students enrolled on campus, a 1.5% increase over last year.  

The enrollment figures are still preliminary. The enrollment data will be analyzed and reviewed for accuracy before a preliminary report is submitted to the Arkansas Department of Higher Education, with the final numbers from that 11th day snapshot officially filed by mid-October.