Enrollment at UA Eclipses 26,000

University of Arkansas chancellor David Gearhart announced at a news conference Sept. 3 there were a record 26,301 students on the Fayetteville campus to start the fall semester, according to preliminary enrollment figures.

The number represents a 37 percent increase — 7,100 students — since 2008, and makes the UA the seventh-fastest growing public research university in the country, according to the Chronicle of Higher Education.

Suzanne McCray, dean of admissions and vice provost for enrollment management at the UA, said the preliminary enrollment figures include 21,903 undergraduate students, a 4.2 percent increase from last year, and a 41 percent gain over the last six years.

The preliminary data also shows a record freshman class of 4,579 students enrolled this fall.