Fall Enrollment Shatters Records; Leads UNC in Enrollment Gains

The University of North Carolina at Pembroke has surpassed an impressive list of milestones at the start of the 2000-2001 academic year.

Milestones include:
-- Largest total enrollment – 3,444, up 12 percent
-- Largest freshman class – 578, up 20 percent
-- Largest on-campus residency – 1000, up 18 percent
-- Highest average SAT, class ranking and GPA scores for a freshman class
-- Largest full-time faculty -- 157 vs. 148 last year

“We also have the most diverse freshman class in UNCP history in terms of the nations, states and counties of their origin,” Chancellor Allen C. Meadors said. “It is not just the number and diversity of students that is so important; it is the quality of students we have attracted that makes this an outstanding recruiting year.”

The high school grade point average for incoming freshman is 2.99 compared with 2.84 last year. Freshman SAT scores and class rank are also highest ever.

UNCP’s student body comes from 24 states and 15 foreign nations. Out-of-state students are up 30 percent and international students are up 50 percent.

Chancellor Meadors said the university has taken great strides in fulfilling its mission.

“The past year has been a time of critical action for the university,” he said.“Our quest is to be the best, Comprehensive I, public university in the nation.”

Improved marketing and sharper promotional materials were part of the reason for the recruitment success, said Admissions Director Jackie Clark, but it’s not the whole story.

“We really got an outstanding effort from the entire Office of Admissions,” Ms. Clark said. “In UNCP, we have a great story to tell, and we’re communicating it to target audiences more effectively.”

One of the consequences of the enrollment boom is that on-campus residency is on the rise. There are 1,000 students in dorms this semester, an increase of 25 percent.

By mid-September, 19 rooms in Wellons Residence Hall had three occupants to a room, despite the opening Pine Hall, a new, 300-bed residence hall she said.

“The good news is that all of this happened before the boom in high school graduates expected in 2002,” Chancellor Meadors said.

Of the 16 UNC institutions, UNC Pembroke had the largest enrollment gains in all key categories, according to preliminary figures.

UNC freshman enrollment was up 2.8 percent and ranged from a gain of 15.8 percent at Appalachain State University to a loss of 32.3 percent at Fayetteville State University.

Total enrollment at UNC was up 1 percent and ranged from a gain of 3.6 percent at North Carolina State University to a loss of 4.9 percent at FSU.

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