UCA touts largest yearly enrollment increase in 25 years

The University of Central Arkansas welcomed one of its largest incoming freshman classes with 2,183 students, marking a 26% increase in incoming students from fall 2023, according to preliminary data.

The incoming freshman class represents the largest year-to-year increase in at least 25 years with 446 more students over last year. This cohort of 2,183 is the second-largest incoming freshman class among all Arkansas four-year universities for the ninth consecutive fall.

Overall enrollment for fall 2024 at UCA is 10,123 which is a 3.4% gain from the previous year. New graduate and transfer students, as well as the incoming freshman class, helped to fuel overall growth at the university.

“We are excited about these enrollment gains on our campus and especially for the energy and momentum from this incoming class of freshmen. We know students and families have tough choices to make when it comes to higher education. UCA is proud to continue being a destination institution,” said UCA President Houston Davis. “The work we do every day is to ensure that students are well-prepared for life after graduation. We are appreciative of and humbled by the trust these students and families have placed in us.”

One of the drivers of the incoming freshman enrollment is a new initiative introduced last September. UCA Commitment is an opt-in financial tool that provides a debt-free pathway for incoming Arkansas freshmen from households earning up to $100,000.

Through UCA Commitment, tuition and fees are covered for Arkansas students who have opted into the program. Fall 2024 was the official start of the initiative. This year’s UCA Commitment cohort is 765, comprising approximately a third of the total incoming class.

“We knew that UCA Commitment would positively impact Arkansas students and families and influence their decision to attend UCA, but we also continue to see students choosing this university for many other reasons,” said Davis.

Other key stats:

• The average ACT score and GPA for the incoming freshman class are 22.1 and 3.59, respectively;
• Incoming students hail from all 75 counties in Arkansas;
• First-generation students are 39% of the entering class, up 4% from last year; and
• Primarily coming from state two-year colleges, UCA welcomed more than 450 transfer students to campus this fall.

For the fourth consecutive year, UCA’s graduate student enrollment is more than 1,840 students. This figure includes more than 520 first-time graduate students. The College of Education and College of Health and Behavioral Sciences make up nearly 75% of all enrolled graduate students.

“The recruitment work is a campus-wide effort. Faculty, staff and current students are instrumental in sharing their love and passion for UCA. In this particular year, the work of our teams in the offices of Admissions and Financial Aid within Enrollment Services has been instrumental in this process,” said Vice President for Enrollment Services and Student Success Kevin Thomas. “With FAFSA challenges, UCA still had increased freshmen enrollment. Their hard work has truly been next-level.”