UA hits new high with 33,610 students this fall, up 22% over past five years

For the fourth consecutive year, the University of Arkansas has set an enrollment record for the fall semester, according to a Thursday (Sept. 5) news release. Enrollment rose by 4.6% to 33,610 students, up more than 1,500 students from the fall 2023 semester.

The enrollment numbers include undergraduate, graduate and law students and comprise an 11th-day census, which is required by the Arkansas Division of Higher Education. Over the past five years, UA enrollment has risen by 22%. This year’s freshman class is the UA’s second largest, with 6,614 students. In 2022, the class had 7,096 students.

The release shows that “despite the controlled growth of the incoming class, overall enrollment has grown partially due to the university’s increasing retention rates, which have grown to 85% or above since 2020. This year’s freshman class is also the most prepared class in school history.”

More Arkansans are enrolled at the UA than ever before, as it broke the previous record for the fourth year in a row. The UA enrollment numbers include 16,519 Arkansans. Over the past five years, the university has increased its enrollment among Arkansans by more than 10%.

“The University of Arkansas is excited to welcome another amazing freshman class with the highest incoming GPA ever for our campus,” said Suzanne McCray, vice provost for enrollment and dean of admission. “With other outstanding new and continuing students, they join a vibrant campus that includes a record number of Arkansans being taught here, a record for our institution and for our state. The growth now is great news for the campus as it points to a healthy future for enrollment even through projected demographic changes in the state and beyond it.”

The UA also set a record for undergraduate students enrolled: 28,859, up 5% from the fall 2023 semester. The university has 4,355 graduate students, the second-largest graduate class. The law school has more than 370 students for the second consecutive year, growing its total enrollment by 9% since 2019.

According to the release, enrollment numbers might change slightly as corrections are made, reviewed and officially reported in October by the Arkansas Division of Higher Education.