DAHLONEGA - With 17,289 students currently enrolled, the University of North Georgia (UNG) has the second-highest percentage of enrollment growth in the University System of Georgia (USG) for fall semester 2015.
UNG experienced a growth percentage of 7.6, second only to the Georgia Tech, which posted a growth rate of 8.3 percent. Fall 2015 enrollment in the USG's 30 colleges and universities totaled 318,164 students, an increase of 1.7 percent over fall 2014. This fall's enrollment continues a trend, for two years in a row, of increasing student enrollment within the USG.
"We are encouraged by the year over year increase in our fall enrollment, but this is just the beginning and we still have work ahead of us to continually increase the number of Georgians with college degrees," said USG Chancellor Hank Huckaby. "We are staying focused on our Complete College Georgia initiative, and will continue our efforts to recruit and retain students, and fully support them through their completion of college."
The enrollment numbers were released in the USG's "Fall 2015 Semester Enrollment Report," which breaks down enrollment by institution, class, race and ethnicity, in-state, out-of-state and international students, as well as gender and age. UNG also had the largest increase in credit-hour production within the USG, and had the third-highest number of dual-enrolled students.
"Our increasing enrollment and the demand for our programs reflect UNG's consistent national recognition as one of the best values in higher education, as well as the commitment of our faculty and staff to educational excellence," President Bonita C. Jacobs said. "To help meet the demands of such significant growth while maintaining high academic standards and student support services, UNG added 78 new faculty positions and 53 staff positions since July 2014. We must continue to manage our growth effectively to respond to the needs of the north Georgia region."
Student diversity also grew at UNG from 2014-15. The number of Hispanic students increased from 1,508 to 1,835, the number of Asian students increased from 503 to 552, and the number of African- American students increased from 692 to 732.
"To help make college more accessible, we have expanded the ways to earn a degree and are experiencing growth with on-line courses and dual enrollment for high school students," Huckaby said. "We continue to see signs of progress with these initiatives in the 2015 fall semester enrollment."
Since 2009, the number of on-line courses offered by USG institutions has increased from 1,571 to roughly 6,200.
Dual enrollment, which allows students to earn college credit while in high school, increased from 6,700 students in fall 2014 to 7,916 students in fall 2015, an increase of more than 18 percent. The increase can be attributed to the Move on When Ready program, which streamlined dual-enrollment programs and removed financial barriers to participation for students.
The full enrollment report can be accessed at:http://www.usg.edu/research/documents/enrollment_reports/SER_Fall_2015.pdf.
