Student enrollment has surpassed 40,000 for the first time in University history. With a student body of 40,846, a 3% increase from the previous year, the number has reached a record high.
“I think this milestone reflects the ever-growing appeal of the Alabama experience, which is a preeminent journey that prepares our students for success in every field,” said Stuart Bell, president of the University, at an event commemorating the achievement Friday.
In-state freshman student enrollment has seen a 7.9% increase since last year, with 3,434 in-state freshman — the highest ever at Alabama — enrolling for fall 2024.
There has also been a record growth in minority enrollment. A total of 10,111 minority students joined The University of Alabama for fall 2024, an 8.2% increase from 2023.
“These achievements are a testament to the University’s commitment to grow to serve both our local communities as well as our broader national reach,” Bell said, adding that the achievements also signified an increased interest in the Capstone for Alabamians.
Bell primarily attributed the growth to the “Alabama experience, exceptional facilities and research opportunities.”
The University reached R1: Very High Research Activity status in 2019, according to the Carnegie Classification.
The University was ranked second to last in total research and development expenditures for SEC schools in the National Science Foundation’s 2022 Higher Education Research and Development survey. However, the University ranked third among R1 universities for growth rate of research and development expenditures in the same survey.
In fiscal year 2023, the University received $255.9 million in outside funding for research, a 21% increase from the previous year.
“We’re preparing young people to solve the challenges that we all see around us, and whether that’s in life research, whether it’s water, whether that’s in transportation, whether that’s in public service, these are all incredible opportunities for our students, and no one does it better than The University of Alabama of serving those students and preparing them,” Bell said.
With the additional students, Bell said the University is working on building new parking facilities and new buildings to accommodate students and visitors.
He added that the University was able to accommodate all freshman students to live on campus this year, and would continue to expand based on the needs of freshmen. He said freshmen are required to live on campus to help them plug into the facilities available at the Capstone.
“They need to know the library. They need to know where our cafeteria facilities are. They need to be able to live close to their classrooms. We have obviously opened a number of residence halls over the last five or six years, and we’ll see where we go in terms of growth if we need to accommodate growth in that area,” Bell said.
Bell met with administrators over the summer to discuss the University’s plans for the future. He said that the University has set goals so that it remains on the “remarkable trajectory” it has been on for many years.
“World class facilities, research opportunities that are expanding and one of the most beautiful campuses in our country, UA is truly thriving in all that we do,” Bell said.
