Enrollment at the University of South Alabama has increased for the second consecutive year and topped 14,000 for the first time in four years, according to enrollment data released today. In all, total enrollment for the 2024-25 academic year rose to 14,003, an increase of 235 students since last fall and up more than 500 in two years.

“Declining enrollment at universities is regularly in the news, so we are ecstatic that the University is bucking the trend and that more students are again choosing South,” said USA President Jo Bonner. “South is increasingly popular because of our growing academic offerings, research opportunities, spirited campus life and student-focused faculty and staff. We’re grateful more and more students choose the Flagship of the Gulf Coast to earn their degree to prepare them for what comes next.”

The enrollment data released today also shows that:

• Undergraduate enrollment increased by nearly four percent.
• The largest increases in undergraduate enrollment were for the College of Engineering (more than 10.5 percent) and the Pat Capps Covey College of Allied Health Professions (9.5 percent).
• The Honors College welcomed the largest first-year class in its history and experienced a double-digit percentage increase in first-time freshmen for the second year in a row.
• More than 2,600 students are living on campus – the highest number in South’s history.
• The Stokes School of Marine and Environmental Sciences continues to see rapid growth and is now the largest such program in the country.
• Initiatives aimed at helping sophomores continue on a path to earning a degree paid off with a record rate of returning students for their third year.

The University has aggressively focused on student recruitment the past two years, expanding its approaches to reaching new students and their families. Efforts include special experiences – known as Jag Days – on board new Jaguar Athletics buses, bringing high school students to campus to visit with faculty and tour facilities. A record number of Jag Day visits are scheduled for the 2024-25 academic year in Mobile and Baldwin counties and beyond.

“The University of South Alabama has a warm and welcoming culture led by accomplished faculty and staff, and we’re finding that what we offer is exactly what students are looking for,” said Dr. Andi Kent, executive vice president and provost. “With 10 schools and colleges, more than 115 degree programs and the ability to provide personal attention not found at larger universities, students really find their place at South.”