Enrollment Growth Propels Kennesaw State To Georgia’s Second-Largest University

Press release from Kennesaw State University:

Nov 11, 2020

Enrollment Growth Propels Kennesaw State to Georgia’s Second-Largest University

KENNESAW, Ga.
(Nov 11, 2020) — Having earned its reputation as a university of choice for many Georgians, Kennesaw
State University placed an exclamation point on that title this fall by eclipsing
the 41,000-student milestone for the first time in its 56-year history and laying
claim as Georgia’s second-largest institution. The University’s record-breaking enrollment, an almost 9 percent increase over last
fall, is bolstered by more than 8,300 new students representing the Class of 2024.
The increase in freshmen and transfer freshmen this fall denotes an almost 30 percent
increase over 2019’s freshman class, which itself was 30 percent larger than the year
prior. This means that KSU has the largest freshman class enrolled in bachelor’s degree
programs in the state of Georgia.

As of this fall, KSU enrolls 37,390 undergraduate and 3,791 graduate students.

"We continue to see an increasing number of students choosing to invest in their future
at Kennesaw State,” President Pamela Whitten said. “Our record enrollment of more
than 41,000 students is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our faculty
and staff to make KSU an institution that puts students first."

The growth Kennesaw State has experienced in recent years has resulted in a unique
student population, Whitten added. KSU is now home to students hailing from 154 of
Georgia’s 159 counties with all 50 states represented in its student body. Additionally,
international students enroll from around the world, with 126 counties represented
in total.

More than 14,000 students – nearly 38 percent of the undergraduate enrollment – identify
as first-generation, meaning that their parents or guardians did not attain a four-year
college degree. Kennesaw State also has a diverse student body with female and male
students represented at 50.4 and 49.6 percent, respectively, African-American or Black
students representing 24 percent and Hispanic/Latino students making up 12 percent
among other groups.

Attracting top students also means providing opportunities for all students, and in
many cases that means reducing the financial burden of attending college. In January
of this year, Kennesaw State received two of the largest philanthropic donations in
the University’s history, dedicated to providing scholarships to students to attend
Kennesaw State.

John and Rosemary Brown committed $10 million to establish an endowment matching fund
to provide scholarships for students in KSU Journey Honors College. Their gift is
being used to match other donors’ endowments at 150 percent to support the College
in perpetuity, with the goal of growing their initial investment to $25 million.

This fall, the Honors College welcomed 671 new students, bringing its total enrollment
to nearly 1,500 students – a 5 percent increase over fall 2019.

In February, KSU received a gift of nearly $9 million from Wellstar Health System
to double enrollment in the nursing program through the Wellstar Excellence in Nursing
Scholarship. This scholarship will fund approximately 50 scholarships annually to
eligible KSU students and will help address the nursing shortage in Georgia. KSU’s
Wellstar School of Nursing already attracts students from across the state, and graduates
of the program have consistently received a 100 percent passing rate on the National
Council Licensure Examination on their first attempt, well above the 89 percent figure
nationwide. This fall, enrollment in the School of Nursing increased by 12 percent
over fall 2019.

With more students enrolling at KSU comes the need for more faculty, support services
and facilities. In 2019, the University added close to 100 new full-time faculty members
along with increasing the number of academic advisors.

Kennesaw State is constructing new academic spaces across its two metro Atlanta campuses.
Last year, the University completed construction on the Science Lab Annex, a 10,411-square-foot
addition to the current Engineering Lab Building in Marietta. The space will enable
the College of Science and Mathematics to expand biology and chemistry course offerings
to students.

Earlier this year, on the Kennesaw campus, the University broke ground on its 143,000-square-foot
Academic Learning Center. The student-focused facility will feature 20 classrooms,
six seminar rooms, a multi-purpose lecture hall, and computer and other specialized
labs. Additionally, the University received approval from the Board of Regents of
the University System of Georgia to build a new residence hall to accommodate its
growing student population. The approximately 514-bed residence hall has a targeted
opening of fall semester 2022.

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• Kennesaw State to hold Ethics Awareness Week Nov. 9-13

A leader in innovative teaching and learning, Kennesaw State University offers more than 150 undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees to its more than 41,000 students. With 11 colleges on two metro Atlanta campuses, Kennesaw State is a member of the University System of Georgia and the second-largest university in the state. The university’s vibrant campus culture, diverse population, strong global ties and entrepreneurial spirit draw students from throughout the region and from 126 countries across the globe. Kennesaw State is a Carnegie-designated doctoral research institution (R2), placing it among an elite group of only 6 percent of U.S. colleges and universities with an R1 or R2 status. For more information, visit kennesaw.edu.

This press release was produced by Kennesaw State University. The views expressed here are the author’s own.