Positive enrollment momentum continues at UCA

University welcomes freshman class of more than 2,000 students for second consecutive year

For the second consecutive year, the University of Central Arkansas has welcomed a freshman class of more than 2,000 students, with 2,079 being the preliminary census number. This achievement is expected to make UCA's entering freshman class the second largest class in the state for the 10th year in a row.

"At UCA, we are proud to see the positive momentum in our enrollment trends once again," UCA President Houston Davis said. "For the second year in a row, our freshman class has topped 2,000 and continues to be an outlier among universities.

"Our last two strong freshman classes - plus another 1,000 new transfer and graduate students this fall - are allowing us to manage an overall headcount of approximately 10,000 students and set up a strong enrollment base for the future."

The preliminary census enrollment of 9,962 is comprised of 8,011 undergraduate students, 1,724 graduate students and 227 high school concurrent students. Overall undergraduate enrollment increased by 2% this fall, reflecting UCA's continued strength in attracting and retaining students. Retention remains excellent among continuing undergraduate degree-seeking students, with an increase of 5%, and transfer enrollment also experienced significant growth with a 9% increase in new transfer students joining the Bear community.

The university welcomed the second cohort of students participating in the UCA Commitment program, a landmark initiative that provides a debt-free tuition pathway to qualifying Arkansas students. The first cohort achieved a strong retention rate of 78%, underscoring the program's effectiveness. In its first two years, UCA Commitment has already supported over 1,300 Arkansas families.

"We are also excited that initiatives like UCA Commitment are inspiring more full-time, degree-seeking freshmen to take the next step in higher education, and we are proud to be a destination university for all of Arkansas and beyond," Davis said.

The average ACT score and GPA for the incoming freshman class are 22 and 3.63, respectively. Incoming students hail from 71 of 75 counties in Arkansas and 19 other states. First-generation students are 40% of the entering class, up 1% from last year.

In addition to these enrollment successes, UCA now serves more than 500 military-connected students, reinforcing its commitment to those who serve the country and their families.

One notable, but intentional, change occurred in UCA's concurrent enrollment, which decreased by approximately 165 students due to a planned shift in those concurrent needs in Faulkner County being met by community college partners.

"We are pleased that local students are being served in this way and see it as a win for college access in our community and the right way for higher education partners to work in the region," Davis said. "Staying true to our mission, UCA remains focused on serving degree-seeking students.

"We are thrilled to see growth of over 5% in our continuing undergraduate students because that speaks directly to our commitment to student success and doing all we can to support our students as they progress toward graduation. During the last two years, we have seen a combined increase of 15% in the number of freshman and sophomore students on our campus. The future is indeed bright for these students and our university!"

ABOUT THE UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL ARKANSAS
Founded in 1907, the University of Central Arkansas is a premier student-focused public university located in Conway, Arkansas. UCA has nearly 150 academic programs and certificates within the colleges of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences; Business; Education; Health and Behavioral Sciences; and Science and Engineering; and the Graduate School. To learn more about UCA, visit uca.edu, or through social media at Facebook, X, YouTube or Instagram.