For a consecutive year, USI has had an increase in enrollment after it decreased for the 11th year in 2022.
According to a USI press release, undergraduate, graduate and dual credit total 9,489 students enrolled, an increase of 2.2% from Fall 2023. There are 1,321 first-time freshmen with a 3.0% increase from Fall 2023, and 1,886 students enrolled in graduate programs with an increase of 1.7% from Fall 2023. In addition, USI had a 6.6% increase in transfer students from other institutions.
The number of first-time and graduate students continues to grow.
Compared to the total enrolled students in Fall 2020 there is a 9.7% increase in Fall 2024. The total of first-time freshmen enrolled in Fall 2020 increased by 2.6% compared to this fall. Students in graduate programs also increased by 6.3% this fall compared to Fall 2020.
According to a USI press release, from Fall 2020, the graduate and undergraduate enrollment totaled 8,505 students and 1,286 first-time students. USI had a decrease in enrollment by 2.1% compared to Fall 2019.
However, in 2020, the U.S. was experiencing a worldwide pandemic according to the World Health Organization.
Mohammed Khayum, previous USI provost, in a Fall 2021 press release, said they were “optimistic” that learning about how the COVID-19 pandemic was affecting students and higher education would provide “opportunities for expansion” and “continued growth going forward.”
In 2021, USI had 1,327 first-time freshmen with an increase of 3.2% compared to Fall 2020. Graduate enrollment also increased by 4.5% making it the sixth consecutive year of growth.
In Fall 2022, USI decreased by 7.3%, with 9,178 enrolled students. The number of first-time freshmen decreased 6% from Fall 2021 to 1,251 students.
In 2023, enrollment at USI increased by 1.2% totaling 9,286 students, a 2.6% increase in first-time freshmen and a 1.8% increase in graduate studies.
USI continues to increase outreach to students.
Rashad Smith, executive director of enrollment, reported on a parent engagement platform called Campus ESP at a general meeting Sept. 5. The platform allows colleges and universities to personalize parent outreach and measure enrollment results. Campus ESP, also called the USI Family Hub, was introduced in Spring 2024 and has over 80,000 prospective families in the system.
“In addition to that, Campus ESP does load content that is general and relevant to any parent or family member throughout the process, such as fast information that we just talked about, student checklist, planning for college and helping the students enroll,” Smith said. “So they are also loading information into Campus ESP and what this does, is it allows us to have one centralized place where families can access this information to the web.”
The USI Family Hub provides analytic engagement to help improve a strategy.
In a Fall 2024 press release Steve Bridges, interim president said USI was ‘thrilled’ to report the increase in enrollment.
“This growth not only highlights the strength and appeal of our academic programs but also underscores the commitment of our faculty and staff to creating a welcoming and supportive environment for all students,” he said.
