The University of Alabama broke records again when it announced that enrollment for fall 2022 had reached 38,645 students. This tops the University’s previous record of 38,563 students in 2017. 

The University also saw a 444– student jump in new first-time enrollment. Just over 8,000 new first-time students enrolled in 2022 compared to 7,593 students in fall 2021. 

President Stuart Bell said in a press release on Sept. 12 that the University experience continues “to draw diverse, talented students from all over the state, nation and world.” 

The University enrolled 15,557 in-state students and 23,088 out-of-state students this semester. 

Large growth in the number of students enrolling has been a trend for the past few years. 

Shane Dorrill, assistant director of communications, said that the University expects interest to grow “as prospective students around the country learn more about the excellent opportunities” the University has to offer. 

However, growth in enrollment, especially in the incoming freshman class, can put pressure on the infrastructure of the University. 

In the 2021-2022 academic school year, upperclassmen who opted to live in on-campus housing were placed in off-campus apartments at East Edge and The Lofts. 

Dorrill said the University can meet residency requirements with on-campus and leased spaces. 

Currently, the University can house up to 8,400 students in 17 on-campus housing communities, and contracted off-campus housing in East Edge and Union on Frank.  

Enrollment growth runs the risk of causing infrastructure issues, which the University has taken steps to try to address through new parking decks and other projects. 

The Tutwiler parking deck and the Capstone parking deck, added in 2018 and 2019 respectively, increased both commuter and residential parking spots on campus. 

A new change  made by Transportation Services this fall was 24/7 zoning of specific residential lots. This was done to alleviate pain for on-campus students. 

Dorrill said there were “no significant changes in parking demands” for the fall 2022 semester. He added that “parking capacity remains available, even if not always in preferred locations at preferred times.” 

Enrollment numbers: https://oira.ua.edu/new/reports/631b5418ca5d2617a44baac4