UA Enrollment Continues to Grow with Quality

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — The University of Alabama continues to grow with quality with enrollment topping 30,000 for the first time this fall.

A record 30,232 students are enrolled, an increase of 1,425 students, or almost 5 percent, over fall 2009. This year’s freshman class once again increased in quality as well as numbers.

“The outstanding academic credentials of our freshman class clearly demonstrate that The University of Alabama is improving in quality as it grows in size. We are pleased to reach the 30,000 milestone, but we are even more pleased with the talent and ability of our students,” said UA President Robert E. Witt.

Enrollment at UA is up 54.1 percent since fall 2002. UA has planned carefully for the unprecedented growth in both numbers and quality, adding faculty, facilities and support functions to provide an excellent education to all students.

“Our goal is to provide an unparalleled college experience,” Witt said. “We are pleased that our students and their families recognize the value that we offer.”

Outstanding qualifications of the freshman class include:

• The entering freshman class, at 5,563, is the largest and most academically talented class in UA history.
• The class includes 125 National Merit Scholars, up from 102 in 2009. Last year, UA ranked 10^th in the nation among public universities in the enrollment of National Merit Scholars.
• 25 percent of the freshman class – 1,395 students – had a 4.0 or higher grade point average in high school and the mean ACT score for the class is a record 25.1.
• The freshman class was drawn from a record 20,112 applicants, up 175 percent since fall 2002. In a clear indication that UA has become a more selective institution, the percent of students admitted was 54 percent, down from 85 percent in 2002.

Enrollment in graduate and first professional degree programs is 5,348, up from 5,105 last year.