向日葵视频 City University has continued its upward swing in enrollment for a second straight fall, pushing its student count to the highest level in eight years, university officials said.
Overall enrollment for the fall semester stands at 2,982 students, the highest total at OCU since 2016. This represents a climb of nearly 430 students over the past two years and an 8% increase from fall 2023.
Within the 2,982 students the university has achieved several milestones:
- The 563 domestic graduate students currently enrolled represent the highest total in that category since at least 2000
- The university鈥檚 240 doctoral students are the most ever enrolled
- OCU鈥檚 1,441 domestic undergraduate students and 76 international undergraduate students are the most in each category since 2020
- The school鈥檚 234 international graduate students are the most since 2011
OCU President Kenneth Evans said an emphasis on new programs, workforce development and STEM-designated concentrations has helped drive the university鈥檚 enrollment momentum.
鈥淥CU remains a destination for undergraduate students pursuing careers in medicine, law, business, health care and performing arts,鈥� Evans said. 鈥淚n addition to focusing on those areas, we have worked diligently to develop academic programs aimed at enabling graduate students to succeed and excel in a rapidly evolving workforce.鈥�
One example has been the recent addition of a series of STEM-designated graduate business degrees, including master of science degrees in accounting, data analytics and financial analytics, and master of business administration degrees in data analytics and financial analytics.
These disciplines have helped yield a 30% year-over-year increase in graduate students within OCU鈥檚 Meinders School of Business. The STEM designations are especially appealing to international students, as studying in STEM fields may allow these students to secure extended work privileges in the United States after graduation.
Another area where innovative programming provided an enrollment boost is the Kramer School of Nursing. The school鈥檚 recently introduced 12-month accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing program helped push up overall nursing enrollment by more than 18% compared to fall of 2023.
This was a significant factor in the university鈥檚 overall growth of transfer students, a population that increased by 37% year-over-year.
Vice President of Enrollment Management Kevin Windholz said that while the fall 2024 enrollment numbers are to be celebrated, OCU leaders will continue to seek opportunities to provide in-demand academic programming in the years to come.
鈥淥ur goal is to continue to be responsive to demands of the market so that we can provide students with the education they need to thrive personally and professionally, both at the graduate and undergraduate levels,鈥� Windholz said.
