Spring 2024 Enrollment Sets Record with 11% Increase Over Same Period in 2023

JONESBORO – Spring 2024 enrollment at Arkansas State University (A-State) on the Jonesboro campus increased 11% to a record 13,896 students compared to spring 2023, Chancellor Todd Shields announced today.

The 11th-day enrollment figure is the highest ever recorded for a spring semester, surpassing the previous record of 12,667 set in 2014. This figure includes a 182% increase in new first-year students on the Jonesboro campus and a 27% increase in new graduate students compared to a year ago.

Shields credited the collaborative work of faculty, staff and the entire university community focused on recruitment and retention efforts.

Shields said: "This is just the beginning of what I believe will be tremendous growth at Arkansas State University as we work to help prospective students understand what an outstanding university we have." "Our value proposition for students and their families is strong, and our best days are ahead of us. We have strengthened our financial aid packages to help people from Arkansas and beyond achieve a high-quality, affordable higher education."

Total spring 2024 enrollment, including A-State Campus Queretaro, is 14,678, an increase of 1,336 students, or 10%, compared to a year ago. International student enrollment — primarily students on the Jonesboro campus and not including Campus Queretaro — increased by 354 students, or 47%, to 1,104.

College of Agriculture, Neil Griffin College of Business, College of Engineering and Computer Science, and College of Nursing and Health Professions all recorded double-digit growth rates in their enrollment numbers. Notably, the university nearly doubled the number of new doctoral students compared to spring 2023.

Dr. Calvin White Jr., provost and executive vice chancellor, said: "Our momentum is clear, and we anticipate strong enrollment growth in the fall with the addition of our A-State Promise Plus scholarship program." "The Arkansas families we serve first and foremost are responding strongly to this financial support. We have opened the door for people across Arkansas to have the opportunity at a growing, nationally recognized Carnegie Research 2 university."

A-State Promise Plus is a scholarship for Arkansas families with a household income below $70,000, which covers remaining tuition costs after federal grants and the Arkansas Lottery Scholarship or Academic Challenge Scholarship have been applied to an eligible student's account. Along with eliminating tuition costs, the "Plus" component of the program is a $2,500 housing scholarship to support first-year students living on campus.

The impact of A-State's new facilities is reflected in enrollment in the Department of Art + Design, where the number of majors has increased 94%, from 167 to 324, since spring 2020. The Windgate Center for Three-Dimensional Art opened in fall 2021, and plans are underway for the accompanying Windgate Hall of Art and Innovation, made possible by an additional $25 million gift from the Windgate Foundation.

Also this spring, economics and finance majors increased 45%, College of Nursing enrollment was up 33%, the Master of Business Administration program grew 78%, computer science majors increased 22%, and digital design and technology majors increased 72%.

Progress continues on the development of the state's first College of Veterinary Medicine, which, once accreditation is approved, will complement A-State's existing professional science programs in nursing, health professions and biological sciences, as well as the NYIT College of Osteopathic Medicine on campus. The addition of the College of Veterinary Medicine is expected to attract more than 400 new students and faculty who will reside in Jonesboro, while also drawing undergraduate pre-veterinary students.

Shields said: "A-State is the destination university in Arkansas and the Mid-South for high school students who want to pursue a career in the health sciences field. "The need and demand to serve people and their pets is enormous, and we will work hard to meet those needs, along with other high-demand fields, by providing our students with visionary, high-quality higher education opportunities."

Online enrollment at A-State – the largest in Arkansas – continued to grow in the spring semester, increasing 17% to 6,592 students.

A-State reported record fall enrollment of 14,903 in Fall 2023. Arkansas State University (A-State) determines official enrollment figures based on data from the 11th class day of the semester, in accordance with Arkansas Department of Higher Education standards.