University’s Historic Growth Distributed Among Colleges and Schools

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The historic student enrollment at the University of Arkansas, 21,406 students for the fall, 2010 semester, resulted in increased enrollment in nearly all of the university's colleges and schools. Two colleges, the College of Engineering and the College of Education and Health Professions had the largest percentage growth as a direct result of the total enrollment increase.

The university's largest college, the J. William Fulbright College or Arts and Sciences, with an enrollment of 7,740 students for the fall semester, posted the largest numerical increase of all the colleges. This was 460 more students than last year, a 6.3 percent increase.

The largest percentage increase from enrollment came at the College of Engineering, where 2,777 students enrolled this fall, a 14.7 percent increase over last year.

"The recruitment strategies put in place several years ago, along with the academic excellence of the engineering programs are driving the enrollment growth," said Bryan Hill, assistant dean of student recruitment and international programs at the College of Engineering. "Given the current and predicted future shortage of engineers, this record-breaking class is entering at a perfect time."

The College of Education and Health Professions, the second largest college in the university, had the second largest growth, both in terms of percentage, at 12.4 percent, and in terms of numbers, 450 additional students, for a total of 4,078 students enrolled.

"We are pleased to see such significant growth in our enrollment numbers," said Tom Smith, dean of the College of Education and Health Professions. "Our graduates fulfill vital needs in the U.S. economy. Labor projections show 1 million new teachers will be needed within the next five years and 1 million nurses will be needed by the year 2020. These economic conditions present incredible job opportunities for our teaching and nursing graduates and our graduates in other education and health fields."

The Sam M. Walton College of Business added 133 students this semester, a 3.7 percent increase, for a total enrollment of 3,712 students.

The Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences had an increased enrollment of 1.2 percent, a total of 1,793 students. This relatively small increase is partly the result of a reorganization that moved more than 100 students in the interior design program from Bumpers College to the Fay Jones School of Architecture. Even with the change, Bumpers College posted its 9th straight year of enrollment growth.

At the School of Architecture the addition of the interior design department boosted enrollment to 582 students, a growth of 29.3 percent.

The School of Law enrolled 407 students this fall, one less student than last year, a 0.2 percent decrease, the only decline in enrollment at the university.

The University of Arkansas Honors College also showed a substantial growth in the fall, 2010 semester. A total of 2,457 undergraduates enrolled in the Honors College program, an increase of 9.1 percent. Fulbright College, which had 1,062 honors students, showed a 0.5 percent increase. The College of Engineering had the second largest number of students in the program, 615, a 28.9 percent increase over last year. Walton College has the third largest group of Honors College students, 387 students, but that number represents a decline of 6.1 percent. The College of Education and Health Professions showed the largest percentage increase, 50 percent; the college has a total of 183 honors students. Bumpers College had 138 honors students enrolled this year, a 17.9 percent increase. The School of Architecture had a 5.9 percent increase, for a total of 72 undergraduates enrolled in the honors program.