Arkansas State University has near record fall enrollment

Arkansas State University has its largest fall class since 2018. The university reported an incoming class of 14,109 students, a 2.5% increase from the fall of 2021 when 13,752 students were reported. It was only 35 students short of the all-time record of 14,144 set in 2017.

“One of the reasons I tell people about why I came to Arkansas State is the community of people who are here on campus and in Northeast Arkansas,” said ASU-Jonesboro Chancellor Todd Shields. “I am very proud of the progress they made this year, and I’m looking ahead to continued improvement in years to come.”

After three years of enrollment decline, the upturn for fall 2022 is highlighted by growth in first-year students on campus, and an increase of over 100 students living in campus housing. ASU also saw growth in the number of first-time international students, up 5%; students at Campus Queretaro, up 3%; and online students, up more than 10%.

This year’s headcount now ranks as the second-highest enrollment in A-State history, exceeding the 14,085 in fall 2016 and 14,058 in fall 2018.

“More than once I’ve had someone tell me that the ‘campus seems busy again’ or ‘events are bigger,’ and it adds up to making A-State a great place to be,” Shields added. “I want this university to be the place where all Arkansans feel welcome, and I know our Enrollment Management team has a plan to take this improvement and continue to grow.”

Another indicator of enrollment turnaround was ASU having its second-best first-to-second year fall retention rate with 77.6%.