The University of Alabama announced a record 39,623 total students for the fall 2023 semester, including 8,279 first-time undergraduate students. This semester also saw record enrollment of National Merit Scholars and racial and ethnic minorities.
This fall’s freshman class is the largest in the University’s history, with 3,184 in-state freshmen.
According to a press release from the University, this semester has brought the highest number of Black and Hispanic students to the Capstone.
“The University has a record enrollment of 9,342 ethnic and racial minority students, a 9.4% increase from 2022,” the press release stated.
Some groups remain underrepresented in the current enrollment.
Alex House, assistant director of communications and media relations at the University, said other ethnic minority freshmen include 108 Asian students, 25 American Indian/Alaska Native students and six Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander students.
Relative to the state’s population breakdown based on the most recent census data from 2022, all three of these groups are underrepresented in the incoming class. This continues a trend of low Native American enrollment at the University.
This is the fifth consecutive year the University has had an increase in in-state enrollment.
“Students — and their parents — are not only drawn to UA’s academic excellence but to what we refer as the ‘Alabama Experience,’” UA President Stuart Bell said in the press release.
The record enrollment is in line with Bell’s prediction in August.
According to the release, in-state enrollment increased 1.5% this semester. Among first-time undergraduates, in-state enrollment was up 6.6%.
The release also said the University of Alabama System board of trustees froze in-state tuition for the 2023-24 school year. Before the 2022-23 school year, in-state tuition was increased due to inflation; however, prior to that increase, students hadn’t faced a rise in tuition for the previous five years.
