MOBILE – The University of South Alabama has enrolled a record freshman class for the second straight year, contributing to a 445-student increase in its total enrollment.
Total enrollment at USA is up 3.75 percent from one year ago to 12,315. This year’s freshman class of 1,398 tops last year’s record class by 56 students. Graduate school enrollment has also set a record at 2,299, up 5.3 percent from last year’s record.
President Gordon Moulton attributed USA’s increase to a combination of greater awareness of the University’s academic quality, increased academic scholarship opportunities for new and returning students, and improved recruiting and retention efforts.
“Today’s college students have vast amounts of information available as they make their college selection, and we are gratified that they are choosing USA based on the success of our graduates and the quality of our faculty and academic programs,” Moulton said.
The Alabama Commission on Higher Education has not yet compiled enrollments for the state’s universities this fall, but USA last fall was the fastest growing public university in the state, according to ACHE. USA’s fall 2000 enrollment of 11,870 was up 4.4 percent from the previous year, while enrollments at Alabama’s public universities were down an average of 1.6 percent.
A record 2,000 USA students this year hold academic scholarships, bolstered by increased private giving to the University and a new USA scholarship program approved by the Board of Trustees two years ago.
The USA entering class also reflects strong diversity, with African-Americans making up 17 percent of the freshman class.
USA drew freshmen from approximately 300 high schools nationwide. Below is a list of top feeder schools, with number of USA freshmen from these schools in parentheses:
- Baker (85)
- Theodore (65)
- Davidson (60)
- Murphy (58)
- Mary G. Montgomery (55)
- McGill-Toolen (54)
- Satsuma (43)
- Alma Bryant (37)
- LeFlore (36)
- Faith Academy (35)
- Daphne (30)
- Fairhope (27)
- Mobile Christian (27)
- Saint Paul’s (20)
- Foley (19)
- Gulfport (19)
- Shaw (19)
- Booker T. Washington, Montgomery (17)
- Grissom, Huntsville (15)
- Citronelle (14)
- Vigor (14)
- Robertsdale (13)
Nursing saw the greatest one-year increase among USA’s schools and colleges, with combined undergraduate and graduate enrollment up 20.7 percent to 1,141. Engineering grew 8.8 percent to 924, while the Mitchell College of Business climbed 7.6 percent to 1,905. Other enrollments include Arts and Sciences, 3,282; Education, 2,309; Allied Health Professions, 1,276; Computer and Information Sciences, 675; Medicine, 480; and Continuing Education and Special Programs, 323.
USA this past year graduated a total of 2,205 students, with alumni to date now numbering 47,209.
