THIBODAUX, La. — Nicholls State University’s Spring enrollment is at its highest in a decade, thanks to a sharp increase in graduate students.
The number of students on campus as of the 14th class day is 6,165, up 60 students from last spring. This is the highest spring enrollment since 2011 and the sixth consecutive year-to-year enrollment increase.
“I am excited and encouraged to see our enrollment continue to climb, even as we grapple with a pandemic that has affected our daily lives for nearly a year now,” said Dr. Alex Arceneaux, executive vice president for enrollment and external affairs. “Our students, faculty and staff continue to prove how resilient they are in the face of this pandemic, and their resolve has set us up for continued success now and in the foreseeable future.”
While Fall semester enrollments are impacted more by the addition of new students, spring semesters are affected by the retention of those students. This spring, fall-to-spring retention was 82.6 percent.
As the economy recovers from the global COVID-19 pandemic, students are bolstering their resumes by enrolling in graduate school. Graduate-level students increased 6.8 percent from last Spring, and the 646 students are the highest spring total since 2016. MBA enrollment is up 57.1 percent, and nursing graduate enrollment is up 50.4 percent.
Nicholls Online enrollment is up by 31.3 percent compared to last Spring.