Alcorn State University is steadily growing into a heavily sought after university among students worldwide and the university is taking notice.
Final enrollment figures reported to governing bodies in October point to strong growth during the fall 2017 semester. Alcorn tallied 3,669 total full-time undergraduates and graduates – a 7 percent increase over 2016. Additionally, Alcorn’s freshman class remains the largest in history with 1,282 students. The size of the 2017 freshman class increased by 39% over fall 2016 and the academic prowess of the class also increased. Students in the fall 2017 class with an ACT range of 24-27 increased by 82% and students with a 28 and above increased by 200%, when compared to fall 2016.
Alcorn President Dr. Alfred Rankins, attributes the higher enrollment and academic data to a number of factors including an affordable tuition structure, competitive scholarships and an intensive recruitment effort he led along with university administrators and admissions staff that included visits to a number of targeted high schools across Mississippi.
Rankins stated, "The updated, strong enrollment data for Alcorn is the result of a lot of hard work provided by a lot of people across the campus." He said he is especially pleased with the role The Spring 2017 Recruitment Tour contributed to the numbers and added, "We look forward to continuing initiatives like the recruitment tour and others to grow our enrollment and strengthen the Alcorn brand as a premier HBCU of choice."
Evidence of the impacts of a university’s recruiting efforts is best derived from its students. When asked why they chose Alcorn and how they envision their matriculation at the university, current students offered their personal testimonials.
Cameron Carr, a California native, was eager to attend a historically black college or university (HBCU), so she made Alcorn her choice. She said that she loves the University’s environment, and the opportunity to mature into adulthood on her own.
“I really wanted to attend an HBCU,” said Carr. “I love it here. For me, attending school in Mississippi is better than being in my hometown because I get to grow and mature on my own.”
Brandon Thomas, a Jackson, Mississippi native, has been coming onto campus with his mother most of his life. He’s proud to carry on the family legacy of attending the University.
“My mother and my uncle attended Alcorn, so that makes me a second generation Alcornite,” said Brandon. “My mom has been bringing me to campus since I was a child, so I live and breathe Alcorn. There are so many opportunities out here for me as a freshman. Alcorn has multiple clubs and organizations for us to join so that we can be active in positive activities around campus.”
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Alcorn State University is a premier comprehensive land-grant university that develops diverse students into globally competitive leaders, and applies scientific research through collaborative partnerships that benefit the surrounding communities, state, nation, and world.
Posted By: Reginald Culpepper
Thursday, November 2nd 2017 at 7:40PM
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