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With its largest-ever student population this fall, ���ӽ紫ý marked a third consecutive year of elevated enrollment and reaffirmed its place as a standout for growth among higher education institutions nationwide.

���ӽ紫ý’s fall 2025 enrollment topped 33,700 students, up 2.4% over last year’s previous record. The historic high was largely propelled by continued undergraduate growth — up more than 2% — with various College of Engineering and Lee Business School programs among the university’s fastest-growing disciplines.

Applied health sciences and nursing are other popular majors, additionally logging double-digit growth. A 6% spike in professional students also contributed to the new record, driven almost exclusively by booming Law School enrollment.

“���ӽ紫ý’s record enrollment is a reflection of the trust students and families place in our university,” said ���ӽ紫ý Interim President Chris Heavey. “At a time when many universities around the country are facing flat or declining enrollment, our growth shows that students continue to see the value of a ���ӽ紫ý degree and the opportunities it creates. This milestone is also a credit to our faculty and staff, whose commitment and passion drive our mission forward every day.”

And the good news didn’t stop there. ���ӽ紫ý’s retention of first-time, full-time undergraduates who returned for a second year of courses remained steady.

University officials lauded the rollout of new degree programs that meet urgent workforce needs in industries like insurance and risk management and cybersecurity, as well as the effectiveness of student support services and programming. These include the Rebel Ready Week extended orientation, which launched in 2023 to help first-year students acclimate to campus and to introduce available resources. Since its launch, Rebel Ready Week continues to grow in both attendance and engagement.

Those student support successes were in part reflected in the ascent of ���ӽ紫ý’s six-year graduation rate. University data shows a university record 51.6% of students earned their degree within six years, an increase of nearly 11% over the past decade. This comes as ���ӽ紫ý has also graduated more students than ever, with nearly 7,000 ���ӽ紫ý students earning a degree over the most recent academic year.

“We want every ���ӽ紫ý student to feel like they’ve got a whole team behind them — people who believe in them and want to see them succeed,” said Kate Korgan, acting executive vice president and provost. “When we come together across advising, academic affairs, student affairs, and our colleges, we’re building the kind of support system that helps students stay on track and really thrive.”

Looking Ahead

To meet evolving workforce demands and enhance the student experience, ���ӽ紫ý is also extending collaborations with industry and community partners.

Over the past year, the university opened the Sands Institute for Chinese Learning and Culture to expand international learning opportunities, and in September, it launched the Dreamscape Learn VR hub in Lied Library to explore the potential of immersive technology for teaching, research, and learning.

These partnerships, combined with new degree opportunities and a refined internal approach that stresses coordination and data-informed decision making, will ensure that graduates leave the ���ӽ紫ý prepared to lead.

“It takes all of us working together to serve students and deliver the kind of outcomes they hope for when they come here,” Heavey said. “We want to ensure people are collaborating, sharing information, and aligning their efforts to best support our students and set them up for success in whatever field they choose.”