FAYETTEVILLE, Ark — University of Arkansas in Fayetteville Chancellor Robinson has stated that the U of A has over 32,000 students enrolled for the fall semester, breaking the record set the year before. Robinson also noted that "The incoming freshman class has the highest average GPA in U of A history (3.79)."
The school saw an almost 4% increase in enrollment over the previous year and an almost 16% increase over the last 5.
They say the high acceptance is a testament to their work providing accessibility for students.
“We know that we're here to serve our students, we're here to serve our state. And for everyone that comes here, we hope that we give them a quality experience and the quality education that they're expecting," says John Thomas, the University of Arkansas communications manager.
Not only does it help the university, but officials say this higher enrollment can also help the surrounding community.
A senior student at the University, Macy McCraw says it’s the culture that brings in so many new students.
“I've just loved it ever since I was a freshman. And even though it has gotten busier, with lots of traffic, I think it's so worth it. Just the nature is beautiful. The people are so nice.“
The U of A housing department says they have over 6000 beds available on campus and 700 beds off campus to accommodate first-year students and upperclassmen, without any active plans to build additional residential halls at the moment.
On Friday, Sept. 8, the university is hosting a celebration with cake and ice cream on the north terrace of the Arkansas Union from 2 - 3:30 p.m.
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