Record-setting student retention on its Russellville campus and a student population increase on its Ozark campus highlight preliminary fall 2024 enrollment figures at Arkansas Tech University.
ATU freshman retention from fall 2023 to fall 2024 is 74.5 percent on its Russellville campus, which is the institution’s highest such figure since Arkansas Tech began keeping electronic records of official data in 1994.
“Our retention data demonstrates that students are finding value in their experience at Arkansas Tech University,” said Dr. Russell Jones, ATU president. “We are fulfilling our promise to provide student access and success for individuals who come from hard-working families and a wide variety of backgrounds. As the only public, four-year university in the state that did not increase tuition, mandatory fees or student housing costs this year, Arkansas Tech is focused on protecting affordability and keeping the life-changing effects of higher education within reach.”
ATU-Ozark Campus preliminary fall 2024 enrollment is 2,115 students, an increase of 7.85 percent compared to fall 2023. With this year’s increase, enrollment at ATU-Ozark has fully returned to pre-pandemic levels.
“The importance of career and technical post-secondary education grows with each passing year,” said Jones. “For many students, the ability to gain skills that make them workplace ready within a relatively short period of time and often at no cost due to programs such as the Arkansas Future grant is very attractive. That is good news for Arkansas because the graduates we are producing at ATU-Ozark Campus go into the workforce prepared to fill important roles for business and industry. ATU-Ozark Campus is a great success story in career and technical education, and we are grateful to Chancellor Dr. Sheila R. Jacobs, her administrative team and the faculty at ATU-Ozark for their support of and advocacy for our students.”
Overall, ATU has a fall 2024 preliminary headcount of 9,062 students, which is a decrease of 4.48 percent compared to the 9,487 students it enrolled in fall 2023.
“This was a year of transition at Arkansas Tech in many ways,” said Jones. “We reviewed our scholarship procedures and implemented new scholarship tiers. As a result, we achieved a solution that creates opportunity for students and ensures the institution remains within its scholarship budget. That transitional period contributed to a decrease in the quantity of our freshman class in fall 2024, but not the quality. We are excited about the students who have chosen Arkansas Tech and the enthusiasm they have displayed for their new home over the past several weeks.
“Quality is our focus,” continued Jones. “We are committed to quality programs, quality faculty and staff, quality facilities and quality experiences. As we strive to maintain and enhance our strengths in each of those areas, we will continue to attract quality students who find their fit at Arkansas Tech.”
ATU’s fall 2024 preliminary enrollment figures are based upon data following the 11th class day of the semester, which was Thursday, Sept. 5.
Visit www.atu.edu to learn more about Arkansas Tech University.
