FLORENCE, Ala. – Official enrollment numbers won’t be available until Oct. 31, but administrators at the University of North Alabama said the University has the largest fall enrollment in the school’s 188-year history.
Current estimates place this year’s total fall enrollment at over 7,600 students, surpassing the previous mark of 7,492 in 2016.
“We’re excited to see that we’re still growing,” said Ron Patterson, UNA’s chief enrollment officer. “It’s always tough to top an overall enrollment record like we had in fall 2016, but to be trending toward the highest fall overall enrollment in the school’s history is exciting.”
Officials said new academic programs and more pathways to success are some of the factors that allowed UNA to welcome a record number of graduate and transfer students. Additionally, UNA also saw a large increase in international students.
International students are up 62 percent on campus, when the national average for international students studying in the U.S., is down 32 percent.
“We’re committed to smart growth,” said Dr. Ross Alexander, UNA vice president for Academic Affairs and provost. “We placed a greater emphasis on online programs, which increases overall enrollment and revenue, but doesn’t tax our infrastructure or expand our physical footprint,” he said.
Alexander said that while new growth is important, it was also important to maintain the identity of UNA, which he says translates to a freshman class between 1,000 and 1,200 students annually to maintain that equilibrium.
As mentioned, UNA recently extended the fall census date to Oct. 31 this year due to the addition of new 8-week courses in several programs, some of which do not begin until mid-October.
