Columbus State’s fall 2017 enrollment sets record

Columbus State University’s fall 2017 enrollment has set a record.

CSU’s enrollment of 8,452 students increased by 0.5 percent compared to last year’s fall semester, the university announced in a news release emailed Thursday to the Ledger-Enquirer.

“We are excited students are selecting CSU to begin or continue their educational journey,” CSU president Chris Markwood said in the news release. “More students are discovering our great faculty and facilities that create our unique combination of academic excellence and value.”

The record enrollment was expected. CSU announced in August it was on track for such success, but the November final figures confirmed it.

CSU’s retention rates for first-time, full-time students increased from 65.6 percent in 2011-2012 to 74.8 percent this year. The university dual enrollment figures, the number of high school students taking CSU courses, has more than tripled since 2012, from 83 to 283, said CSU university relations director Greg Hudgison.

The enrollment increase at CSU is part of the overall increase in the University System of Georgia, which has reached a record 325,203 students, an increase of 1.1 percent compared to fall 2016. This fall’s enrollment continues a trend, four years in a row, of increases in student enrollment. The full USG enrollment report is available at http://www.usg.edu/assets/usg/docs/news_files/BOR_USG_Fall_2017_Enrollment_Report.pdf.

This story was originally published November 9, 2017 at 8:42 AM with the headline "Columbus State’s fall 2017 enrollment sets record."