(The Center Square) – Enrollment numbers at several UNC System schools this fall increased from 2022, rebounding from the first year of overall system enrollment decline in a decade.
Overall enrollment at the UNC System’s 17 campuses last fall declined for the first time since 2013 to 239,663, and while the system’s total numbers have not yet been released, enrollment figures from at least five schools are up 3% or more from last year. Research by The Center Square generated unofficial numbers for nine schools, and positive trends are expected when the official report is released possibly as soon as this week.
Appalachian State University reported a 4% overall increase in enrollment from last fall with a total of 21,253 students admitted for 2023 – “a historic enrollment for the university,” according to a statement last week.
The figures include the largest first-year class at Appalachian State of 4,227, an 8% increase from fall 2022, as well as the second-largest class of transfer students at 1,591, up 6%.
Enrollment at North Carolina A&T continued its decade-long trend of growth with 13,883 students enrolled for the 2023-24 school year, or about 400 more than last year.
The 3% increase stemmed largely from a rise in North Carolina students in the first-year class, as well as significant increases in doctoral students and improved retention, which jumped 5.3%.
Elizabeth City State University in late August reported its highest enrollment in nine years and sixth consecutive year of growth with a total of 2,166 students, which school officials attributed to strategic recruitment of adult learners and graduate students. Adult learners are up 4.3% for 2023, while the number of students pursuing credit-bearing professional development in education increased 45%.
Other schools with significant enrollment increases include North Carolina Central, where admitted students swelled 5.5% to 7,695, or 412 more than last year. Of the total, 3,235 students opted to live on campus, a record that eclipses last year’s figure by 91 students.
“That’s about 40% of our student population that we house,” Angela Coleman, vice chancellor for student affairs, said in a release. “Most universities are at 25-35%.”
Enrollment at Fayetteville State increased as well, going from 6,787 last year to 6,857 this fall. The school welcomed it largest, most diverse, first-year class in 20 years at more than 800 students. The student retention rate hit 78%, up 14% from 63.3% in 2020.
Three other UNC System schools with slight overall enrollment declines showed positive trends.
While UNC Greensboro’s total enrollment of 17,743 came in below last year’s 17,978, the 2,613 first-time college students represent an 11.5% increase from last fall. The number of in-state first-year students is up 12.5%, while 1,626 transfer students represented an 8.9% increase, and readmitted students jumped 8.8%.
Enrollment slid by seven students at Western Carolina University, going from 11,635 last year to 11,628 this fall, despite an 8.8% increase in the number of freshman. The third-largest incoming class totaled 2,082, or 169 students larger than last year. There was also a 4% increase in the freshman retention rate, 10% increase in out-of-state students, and a small uptick in new undergraduate transfer students.
At UNC Asheville, where enrollment fell 10% last year and 25% since 2015, the 2023 enrollment was 2,907, or just seven students less than in 2022. The number includes the largest incoming class of new first-time students in four years. The 24% year-to-year increase in new first-time students came from a record number of applications, which jumped 28% from 2022 and 37% over the recent three-year average.
