University System of Georgia reports enrollment hit record high, adds almost 10,000 new students

ATLANTA — The University System of Georgia reported record-high enrollment for the fall 2023 semester.

According to the USG, almost 344,400 students were actively enrolled in state institutions, “reversing two years of enrollment declines” and rising 3%.

The boost to students in classes impacted 23 of the 26 public colleges and universities in the state’s system, officials said.

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In the announcement from USG, officials said enrollment dipped down in Fall 2021 for the first time since 2013, before falling again the year after.

According to the university system, enrollment in fall 2021 fell 0.2% to 340,638. Then, it dropped again with total enrollment for Fall 2022 at 334,459 students.

For the current fall semester, the university system said enrollment increased across all four sectors of state higher education, hitting a total of 344,392, or a nearly 10,000 student increase versus the fall 2022 semester. Of those, more than 6,500 were Georgia students.

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“Our institutions prepare Georgians to start businesses, launch successful careers, bring creative ideas to life and otherwise pursue their dreams of prosperity and purpose,” USG Chancellor Sonny Perdue said. “This is happening as we focus on aligning degrees to the state’s workforce needs, from nursing and teaching to logistics and cybersecurity. Our campuses make a transformational difference in students’ lives, and I appreciate the work being done by our presidents, faculty and staff across the system to help more students than ever succeed.”

The largest enrollment increase in terms of individual students was at the Georgia Institute of Technology, where fall brought in 2,665 new students, while Georgia Southwestern State University saw the biggest percentage increase, with 11% higher enrollment.

Across the overall university system, USG said Georgia State University (-2.8%), Valdosta State University (-0.4%) and East Georgia State College (-6.9%) experienced declines.

Below, see how each university’s and college’s enrollment levels increased around Georgia.

Georgia Southern University Georgia Southern University - Enrollment up 2.4%

University of North Georgia University of North Georgia - Enrollment up 0.2%

South Georgia State College South Georgia State College - Enrollment up 3.3%

Gordon State College Gordon State College - Enrollment unchanged

Georgia Highlands College Georgia Highlands College - Enrollment up 6.7% (Jeff_Brown)

Georgia Gwinnett College Georgia Gwinnett College - Enrollment up 8.1%

Dalton State College Dalton State College - Enrollment up 8.2%

College of Coastal Georgia College of Coastal Georgia - Enrollment up 1.4%

Atlanta Metropolitan State College Atlanta Metropolitan State College - Enrollment up 8.1%

Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College - Enrollment up 3.3%

Middle Georgia State University Middle Georgia State University - Enrollment up 4.6%

Savannah State University Savannah State University - Enrollment up 4.6%

Georgia Southwestern State University Georgia Southwestern State University - Enrollment up 11%

Fort Valley State University Fort Valley State University - Enrollment up 6%

Clayton State University Clayton State University - Enrollment up 0.4%

University Of West Georgia University Of West Georgia - Enrollment up 7.2%

Albany State University Albany State University - Enrollment up 3.8%

Kennesaw State University Kennesaw State University - Enrollment up 4.4%

University of Georgia University of Georgia - Enrollment up 2.5% (Andrew Davis Tucker)

Columbus State University Columbus State University - Enrollment up 1.8%

Georgia College & State University Georgia College & State University - Enrollment up 7.9%

Georgia Institute of Technology Georgia Institute of Technology - Enrollment up 5.9%

Augusta University Augusta University - Enrollment up 7.5%

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