ATU fall enrollment dips 4.5%

Arkansas Tech University (ATU) on Friday (Sept. 6) reported a fall 2024 preliminary headcount of 9,062 students, down 4.5% compared with the 9,487 students enrolled in fall 2023. The ATU-Ozark campus enrollment is 2,115, up 7.9% compared with the 2023 period.

ATU freshman retention from fall 2023 to fall 2024 is 74.5% on its Russellville campus, which is the institution’s highest such figure since ATU began keeping electronic records of official data in 1994.

“Our retention data demonstrates that students are finding value in their experience at Arkansas Tech University,” ATU President Dr. Russell Jones said in a statement. “We are fulfilling our promise to provide student access and success for individuals who come from hard-working families and a wide variety of backgrounds. As the only public, four-year university in the state that did not increase tuition, mandatory fees or student housing costs this year, Arkansas Tech is focused on protecting affordability and keeping the life-changing effects of higher education within reach.”

Jones said this academic year is the first with changes in its scholarship system.

“We reviewed our scholarship procedures and implemented new scholarship tiers. As a result, we achieved a solution that creates opportunity for students and ensures the institution remains within its scholarship budget. That transitional period contributed to a decrease in the quantity of our freshman class in fall 2024, but not the quality. We are excited about the students who have chosen Arkansas Tech and the enthusiasm they have displayed for their new home over the past several weeks,” he said.