The University of Arkansas, Fayetteville reported record enrollment, with 30,936 students on campus this fall -- an 8.3% increase over last year and the first time the university has crossed the 30,000 mark -- according to preliminary figures released Wednesday.
Degree-seeking new freshmen also represented a record, with 7,099 joining campus this year, according to the university. That's a 17% jump over last year.
"It feels a lot busier during passing periods" between classes, and "it's really hard to get a parking spot," said senior Austin Bowerman. He also missed out on one course he wanted this semester, which was "a little frustrating," but that was due more to his late attempt to switch into that class than the number of students enrolled at the university.
"It's a little busier this year than last -- you notice it walking around campus -- but that could also be just more people are out this year because we don't have the covid issues," said sophomore AJ Yost. "I see more people out and about, but once you get inside the buildings, class sizes aren't astronomically larger" than last year.
Total enrollment was 27,562 in 2020, but jumped to 29,068 in 2021, according to the university. There are 2,835 Arkansans in this freshman class, another new record, and a 7.8% increase from last year's freshman class.
"I am most proud of the record number of Arkansans in the freshman class," and the overall growth in enrollment "underscores that the U of A is a destination institution attracting students both in Arkansas and from across the country," interim Chancellor Charles Robinson said in a statement from the university. "The freshman class will have the highest incoming GPA in our history -- these students are prepared to succeed -- this is all good news for our campus and for our state."
The average GPA for degree-seeking new freshmen is 3.77, also a record, according to the university. A decade ago, that average was 3.6.
Freshman Caroline Field was able to secure all her desired courses and on-campus housing because she enrolled at the university earlier than many of her peers, she said. "My whole family has gone here, I always knew I wanted to go here, too, and I never even applied anywhere else."
'GROWING AND THRIVING'
"We're growing and thriving," said Mark Rushing, associate vice chancellor, university relations. "Our core mission is to provide education and opportunities for Arkansans, but we've become a destination school, too, very popular with students from surrounding states," as roughly two-fifths of the university's students are non-Arkansans.
Yost eschewed his hometown school, the University of Colorado -- he's from the Boulder area -- and other Colorado colleges for the University of Arkansas, and he has "no complaints."
"I wanted a new area, state, and culture," and the University of Arkansas was "actually cheaper than" the University of Colorado, he said. "I'm very happy with [my decision], and I love the school and atmosphere here."
The university did not increase tuition this year for in-state students, although tuition did rise for out-of-state students who contribute to "subsidizing" in-state students, as "the tuition out-of-state students pay helps us keep tuition low for Arkansans," Rushing said. "Some out-of-state students pay a higher tuition than others based on whether or not they qualify for the New Arkansan Non-Resident Tuition Award" -- which offers scholarships based on academic merit, such as GPA -- "but even those who qualify still pay out-of-state tuition at a higher rate than any Arkansan."
The average total for tuition and fees for an undergraduate Arkansas resident taking a full load of courses is $9,656, but $27,410 for non-residents, according to the university.
"Taking everything you get into account, you get what you pay for," said Bowerman, an elementary education major minoring in English, who hopes to teach middle-school English/Language Arts. "There are a lot of great professors and classes, and there are so many opportunities in the area, not just on campus, but in all of Fayetteville" and Northwest Arkansas.
"The area is really great -- I love the campus -- and it's a beautiful place," added Bowerman, who resides in Springdale and commutes to campus. "The experiences I've gotten here, I wouldn't change anything, and you make friends super fast here, because everyone is polite."
Rhonda Gulliver enrolled at the university this year after her husband's military career took the couple from California to Northwest Arkansas, and she was pleased not only by the fact that her credits from a California college carried over, but that she has an excellent university "so close by," she said. "Teachers are great -- there's not a class I don't like -- and I didn't have any issues getting the classes I wanted, because I gave myself enough time."
"It's beautiful here -- the campus is gorgeous -- and the buildings are lovely," said Gulliver, who is majoring in communications with an emphasis on film. "I love the library, which has so many places to study, everyone is helpful, and I think it's going to be a great experience."
Yost had no problem getting into courses he wanted this semester, both because his area of study -- data science -- is relatively new to the university, so there's not a large amount of students seeking those classes, and because he's a member of the Honors College, so he gets to pick classes early, he said. However, "I know it wasn't quite the same story for some of my friends."
His housing search "wasn't terrible," and he lives near the university in a townhome on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, he said. "There's so much housing here."
GROWTH, HEADWINDS
Enrollment has been climbing at the university for several years despite many colleges and universities across the nation seeing enrollment decreases, particularly during the pandemic. Nearly 1.3 million students disappeared from American colleges during the pandemic, and attendance among undergraduates fell nearly 10%.
"We did see a dropoff during the pandemic, with some students deferring their college careers a bit, but now they're back," Rushing said. "Our tuition is comparable to other institutions in the state, and an affordable, high-quality education -- with plenty of opportunities -- is a pretty good mix."
"Northwest Arkansas is booming, and there are Fortune 500 companies -- Walmart, Tyson [Foods], J.B. Hunt -- right here ready to hire students when they graduate," he said. "We help them find their path, and [students] see the return on investment."
Enrollment at the Sam M. Walton College of Business grows noticeably annually, especially in the J.B. Hunt Transport Department of Supply Chain Management, said John Thomas, director of media relations and core communications. Business degrees are especially alluring for students who want to remain in Northwest Arkansas, a "hub" of business in the state.
"There are many reasons to celebrate the university's growth over the last two years, [and the university] has been working to get ahead of the much-anticipated enrollment cliff that is already starting to have an effect on college enrollments across this country, " Suzanne McCray, vice provost for enrollment and dean of admissions, said in a statement from the university. "Expanding our enrollment now helps provide a buffer for our campus and for our community, and we have been able to grow while also increasing opportunities for Arkansans, access for diverse communities, and academic preparation among incoming students."
While much of the increase in enrollment is attributable to Arkansans, out-of-state enrollment continues to grow, and those students make the campus "a more diverse place," Rushing said. "Many of them are second- or third-generation Arkansas folks: their parents or grandparents graduated from the University of Arkansas, or they're from Arkansas but moved to other states, but they still grow up rooting for the Razorbacks."
"Plus, we're pretty successful in athletics, [which] creates a pride," Rushing said. "A lot of students want to be in this big-time SEC atmosphere."
Growing enrollment does present some logistical challenges, such as student housing, he said. "A high number of students wanted to live on campus this year -- not just freshman, but sophomores, juniors, and seniors -- but we prioritized newcomers, because we want as many first-year students to live on campus as possible."
In most cases, new freshmen are required to live on campus.
Field, who plans to study business and marketing with an emphasis on sports marketing, is happy to be living on campus in her first year at the university.
"You meet a lot of people, and you're close to lots of things," she said. "I enjoy it, and it's fun."
The university has "6,200 beds on campus" and reserved another 900 beds in apartments that are technically off-campus, but within blocks of the university, Thomas said. Those 900 beds remain considered university housing for the students, who could choose between on or off-campus lodging.
Many preferred the latter option, he said. "They're still paying the rate for campus housing, but they get amenities like a pool" not available in traditional on-campus dormitories.
Rushing is unsure how much more enrollment growth will be a goal for the university, he said. "This will be up to the new chancellor and others, but -- just me talking -- I think this is about where we'd want to be."
Students change classes Wednesday at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. Upperclassmen say such moments are busier and parking is a challenge. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/J.T. Wampler)
Record enrollment at UA