DANVILLE, Va. (March 28, 2024) – While major headlines across the nation are shining a light on declines in college enrollment data, Averett University has seen steady growth.
This spring, total enrollment at Averett grew by more than 8% year-over-year, and after the March term start for Averett Online, that growth has surged to a nearly 10% increase as compared to last March. This comes after an increase in the fall 2023 semester, for which the University recruited its third largest traditional class in recent history and its largest class in Averett Online since its inception.
“Our strategic priorities in innovative partnerships, transformational learning, and enrollment growth and visibility have led to tangible results for our University,” said Averett President Dr. Tiffany M. Franks. “The higher education industry has been bracing for the demographic enrollment cliff, which was expedited by the pandemic, and I’m proud to say that we’ve been proactive and intentional about preparing for these headwinds.”
According to data from the National Student Clearinghouse, colleges nationwide saw undergraduate enrollments drop 8% from 2019 to 2022, with continued declines even after the return to in-person classes. Factors such as increased competition and demographic changes have left many colleges with fewer students to teach.
Through targeted marketing initiatives, innovative partnerships and strategic growth in programs that are in high workforce demand, Averett has bucked this trend.
“It’s unusual to have a higher enrollment in the spring than in the fall of the same academic year,” said Dr. S. Lee Beaumont, vice president of enrollment management and university marketing. “This accomplishment is a testament to our enrollment management strategies – not only recruitment and marketing programs, but also retention efforts across our campuses.”
Averett’s most popular majors this year for traditional students include those in the Health and Sports Science Department, Business and Aeronautics. Psychology and Computer Science saw the largest uptick for online programs.
