NCCU Shatters Enrollment Record, Fueled by Surges in Online Students and Retention

For the first time in its 115-year history, North Carolina Central University (NCCU)has passed the 9,000-student mark, delivering the university's largest enrollment and continuing a trend of record growth.

For Fall 2025, NCCU welcomed 9,160 students, a 6.8% increase from the 8,579 students enrolled in Fall 2024. This milestone includes 2,295 new first-time, transfer and second-degree students in the class of 2029.

Graduate enrollment accounts for 1,928 students, including a 35% increase in the university's research doctoral programs, which now features a new Ed.D. in counseling, counselor education and supervision launched in the NCCU School of Education during fall 2025.

Online programs are the fastest-growing area, with 2,018 students enrolled this fall, a 47.2% increase over last year, driven by growth in both Project Kitty Hawk-powered and NCCU Onlineenrollment. NCCU also saw growth in military-affiliated students, up 6.9%.

The expansion of the NCCU Online program, the university's longstanding homegrown online offerings, is a cornerstone of the university's new strategic plan, Soaring to New Heights: Vision 2030, emphasizing institutional sustainability.

"This historic milestone reflects NCCU's role as an engine of opportunity for North Carolina," said NCCU Chancellor Karrie Dixon. "By expanding online learning, growing graduate programs and opening more doors to first-generation and transfer students, we're transforming lives, fueling the workforce and strengthening the communities we serve."

Retention of first- and second-year students rose four percentage points to 77%, and overall undergraduate re-enrollment increased across all class levels.

"There is a renewed energy at the university that is motivating our current students to persist and inspiring those who previously stopped out to return," noted Ontario S. Wooden, Ph.D., provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs.

The university also conducted re-enrollment campaigns and streamlined the readmissions process to make it easier for previously enrolled students to reapply and re-enroll.

The university's five most popular majors are business administration, biological and biomedical sciences, psychology, liberal arts and sciences (general studies and humanities) and criminal justice.