Samford University announced a record enrollment of 4,758 late Friday (Sept. 16). Samford officially records its enrollment at the end of the 15th class day, according to R. Phil Kimrey, Samford’s vice president for student affairs and enrollment management.
The fall 2011 total is an increase of 43 over the record enrollment of 4,715 in fall 2010 and is the third consecutive year for Samford to have a record enrollment.
Included in the totals are a record 1,808 graduate students, Kimrey said, highlighted by continued significant growth in nursing graduate programs. Samford also had an 18.8 percent increase in its evening undergraduate degree program.
The academic profile of the entering class also is very strong, Kimrey said, with an average Scholastic Aptitude Test score of 1169 and an average ACT college entrance examination score of 26.
“There are many factors that have a positive impact on our enrollment, including the diligent efforts of our faculty and staff to providing rigorous academic and cocurricular programs that attract students who are interested in a comprehensive, nationally-ranked university like Samford,” he said.
The Samford student body includes students from 47 states and the District of Columbia and 21 other countries. The majority of students come from the Southeast, led by Alabama (1,139), Georgia (533), Tennessee (439), Florida (204) and Kentucky (77). Texas, with 74 students, led the states from outside the Southeast.
The record enrollment is the latest in a series of major achievements for the university, according to Samford President Andrew Westmoreland. The enrollment announcement comes just days after Samford was ranked fourth among regional universities in the South in the annual U.S. News & World Report 2012 college rankings. The university had near-record annual giving in fiscal 2011, with more than $35 million in gifts in the year that ended June 30. Several Samford programs, including business, entrepreneurship and nursing, have achieved high national rankings in recent months, and the university has been highly ranked in the past year by other publications such as Forbes, Kiplinger’s and The Princeton Review.
“Record enrollments and record giving indicate that Samford’s reputation is stronger than ever,” Westmoreland said. “We will continue our long-established vision to move Samford forward in national recognitions for our programs, our people and our mission.”
Additional enrollment statistics and demographics will be released next week, Kimrey added.
