The largest new student incoming class in seven years and an unprecedented freshman retention rate have propelled University of the Ozarks to its highest enrollment since 2008.
Total enrollment for the Fall 2015 Semester is 651 students, the largest since 675 students were enrolled in 2008. It’s the third consecutive year of enrollment growth and an 11 percent increase over last year’s 587 students.
The new student incoming class of 252 students is the largest since 258 in 2008. The University also reported a 75 percent retention rate for last fall’s freshman class, the highest freshman retention rate at the university since at least the late 1980s.
University of the Ozarks President Richard Dunsworth said he believes two of the reasons for the large enrollment growth are that Ozarks has frozen the cost of tuition, room and fees for multiple years and emphasized positive student outcomes.
"Our board, faculty, staff and administration have been working hard to improve college affordability and student success rates," said Dunsworth, who is entering his third year as president of the university. "We are very excited with the number of students we’ve welcomed to campus this fall."
Ozarks’ student body includes 57 percent from Arkansas and 9 percent from Johnson County, where the university is located.
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