Angelo State University Posts Record Fall Enrollment

SAN ANGELO, TX – For the second year in a row and the fourth time in the last five years, Angelo State University has set a new record for fall enrollment, topping 10,700 students for the first time.

ASU’s enrollment now sits at 10,775 students for the fall 2020 semester, topping the previous record enrollment of 10,586 set in 2019. A major factor in the record enrollment is an ongoing increase in ASU’s undergraduate student retention rate, which has led to growth in the number of sophomores, juniors and seniors enrolled in classes on campus.

Another major factor is the record-high 3,423 students enrolled through ASU’s dual credit program, up from 3,022 last fall. High school students at nearly 50 campuses throughout West and Central Texas are earning both high school and ASU credit for courses taught at their high schools.

ASU’s undergraduate Hispanic enrollment has also reached an all-time high at 46.2% for this fall semester. That number has been increasing annually since ASU first achieved Hispanic Serving Institution status from the U.S. Department of Education in 2010. ASU’s overall minority enrollment also increased to 52.9% this fall, with 5.5% Black enrollment, topping 50% for the first time. As a result, Angelo State is now an emerging Minority Serving Institution that is strategically positioned for first-generation students’ entry into the workforce.

ASU President Ronnie Hawkins Jr. said, “That we were able to set another record for fall enrollment while also dealing with issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic is a testament to the tremendous work done by our entire faculty and staff. But what can’t be lost in the mix is the fact that we would not be attracting record numbers of students without the high-quality academic and student life programs that are the foundation of everything we do. Students know they will get a great education at ASU, so the Ram Family is still 10,000 strong and growing.”

“Congratulations to the Angelo State University leadership, recruitment and retention teams on once again putting forth a remarkable effort to achieve this accomplishment,” said Tedd L. Mitchell, M.D., chancellor of the Texas Tech University System. “A record enrollment is a testament to ASU’s reputation and quality of education it provides its students. The Texas Tech University System is proud of the campus community and our Ram Family on attaining this milestone.”

The academic areas that have seen the most growth in the last year at ASU are the social work undergraduate degree program and the professional school counseling and Master of Business Administration online graduate programs. The most popular undergraduate majors are nursing, psychology, management, biology and teacher education, as well as the recently accredited engineering program and the new commercial aviation program scheduled to begin in fall 2021.

Shortly after joining the Texas Tech University System in 2007, ASU set an enrollment goal in its “Vision 2020” strategic plan of 10,000 students by the year 2020. That goal was reached three years early in 2017, and ASU’s enrollment has remained above 10,000 ever since.