UCA reported 9,191 total students in Fall 2024, an increase of 144 students, or 1.59%, from Fall 2023. The same report recorded 120,073 total student credit hours, up 3,491, or 2.99%, year over year. These figures describe the University of Central Arkansas’s Fall 2024 enrollment snapshot and its comparison with Fall 2023. Source: Fall 2024 Unofficial Enrollment Report.
Table of contents
- Overall enrollment
- Credit hours and class level
- Academic areas
- How students entered UCA
- Undergraduate demographics
- Graduate demographics
- Retention
Overall enrollment
Undergraduate enrollment was 7,546 students in Fall 2024, up 206 students, or 2.81%, from the prior fall. Graduate enrollment was 1,643, down 60 students, or 3.52%. Concurrent enrollment was 2 students, down 2, representing a 50.00% decrease. Together, those reported categories accompany the overall total of 9,191 students. Source: Fall 2024 Unofficial Enrollment Report.
The overall movement therefore came with different patterns by student level: undergraduate headcount rose while graduate and concurrent headcounts fell. The report also shows more academic activity overall, measured in credit hours, despite the graduate headcount decline.
| Reported measure | Fall 2024 | Year-over-year change |
|---|---|---|
| Total students | 9,191 | +144 (+1.59%) |
| Undergraduate students | 7,546 | +206 (+2.81%) |
| Graduate students | 1,643 | -60 (-3.52%) |
| Concurrent students | 2 | -2 (-50.00%) |
| Total student credit hours | 120,073 | +3,491 (+2.99%) |
Credit hours and class level
Total undergraduate credit hours reached 106,632, an increase of 3,777, or 3.67%. Graduate credit hours totaled 13,441, down 286, or 2.08%. Average undergraduate credit hours per student were 14.13, compared with 14.01 previously, a gain of 0.12 or 0.84%. Average graduate credit hours per student were 8.18, compared with 8.06, also a gain of 0.12, or 1.49%. Source: Fall 2024 Unofficial Enrollment Report.
Among undergraduate class levels, freshman credit-hour enrollment was 2,432, up 293, or 13.70%. Sophomore credit-hour enrollment was 1,497, down 120, or 7.42%. Junior credit-hour enrollment was 1,620, up 35, or 2.21%. Senior credit-hour enrollment was 1,825, unchanged from the prior year. Post-baccalaureate credit-hour enrollment was 162, down 1, or 0.61%, while pre-baccalaureate or visiting credit-hour enrollment was 10, down 1, or 9.09%. Concurrent high-school credit-hour enrollment was 2, down 2, or 50.00%. Source: Fall 2024 Unofficial Enrollment Report.
These class-level figures show the largest positive percentage change among the listed undergraduate levels in freshman credit hours. The senior figure did not change year over year, while sophomore credit hours declined by 120.
Academic areas
Undergraduate credit hours increased in four of the six reported academic-area categories. Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences recorded 33,473 undergraduate credit hours, up 1,218, or 3.78%. Education recorded 6,846, up 798, or 13.19%. Health and Behavioral Sciences recorded 23,612, up 916, or 4.04%. Science and Engineering recorded 26,396, up 1,203, or 4.78%.
Business undergraduate credit hours were 15,197, down 292, or 1.89%. No-college undergraduate credit hours were 1,108, down 66, or 5.62%. Total undergraduate credit hours across the report were 106,632, up 3,777, or 3.67%. Source: Fall 2024 Unofficial Enrollment Report.
Graduate activity varied by academic area. Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences graduate credit hours were 448, down 116, or 20.57%. Business graduate credit hours were 1,263, up 16, or 1.28%. Education graduate credit hours were 3,783, up 200, or 5.58%. Health and Behavioral Sciences graduate credit hours were 7,383, down 419, or 5.37%. Science and Engineering graduate credit hours were 564, up 33, or 6.21%. Total graduate credit hours were 13,441, down 286, or 2.08%. Source: Fall 2024 Unofficial Enrollment Report.
How students entered UCA
The Fall 2024 report counted 2,126 first-time incoming first-year students, up 384, or 22.04%, from Fall 2023. New transfer students numbered 377, down 51, or 11.92%. UCA returning readmit students numbered 97, down 24, or 19.83%. UCA continuing students numbered 4,774, down 101, or 2.07%.
The report also counted 162 post-baccalaureate students, down 1, or 0.61%, and 10 pre-baccalaureate students, down 1, or 9.09%. Among graduate students, new graduate student headcount was 417, down 8, or 1.88%. Returning graduate readmit students numbered 8, up 5, or 166.67%. UCA continuing graduate students numbered 1,147, down 52, or 4.34%, and graduate visiting students numbered 71, down 5, or 6.58%. Source: Fall 2024 Unofficial Enrollment Report.
The largest headcount increase in this entry-status group was among first-time incoming first-year students, while the largest percentage increase was among returning graduate readmit students. The latter change involved a small reported headcount of 8.
Undergraduate demographics
Undergraduate enrollment included 4,874 White students, up 71, or 1.48%, from Fall 2023. Black undergraduate enrollment was 1,220, up 13, or 1.08%. Hispanic undergraduate enrollment was 672, up 113, or 20.21%. Students identifying with two or more races numbered 397, up 31, or 8.47%.
Undergraduate American Indian/Alaskan Native enrollment was 36, up 11, or 44.00%. Asian enrollment was 158, down 1, or 0.63%. U.S. nonresident enrollment was 172, down 28, or 14.00%. Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander enrollment was 5, down 3, or 37.50%. Source: Fall 2024 Unofficial Enrollment Report.
Underrepresented undergraduate students accounted for 35.25% of enrollment, compared with 33.45% previously. That is an increase of 1.80 percentage points. The percentage is reported as an enrollment share, while the year-over-year change is expressed in percentage points. Source: Fall 2024 Unofficial Enrollment Report.
Graduate demographics
Graduate enrollment included 1,257 White students, down 32, or 2.48%, from Fall 2023. Black graduate enrollment was 164, down 18, or 9.89%. Hispanic graduate enrollment was 69, up 7, or 11.29%. Students identifying with two or more races numbered 58, down 8, or 12.12%.
Graduate American Indian/Alaskan Native enrollment was 3, down 3, or 50.00%. Asian graduate enrollment was 27, down 6, or 18.18%. U.S. nonresident graduate enrollment was 61, up 2, or 3.39%. Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander graduate enrollment was 1, unchanged year over year. Source: Fall 2024 Unofficial Enrollment Report.
Underrepresented graduate students accounted for 23.31% of enrollment, compared with 24.02% previously. That is a decrease of 0.71 percentage points. The undergraduate and graduate percentages should be read separately because they describe different enrollment groups. Source: Fall 2024 Unofficial Enrollment Report.
Retention
For the Fall 2023 cohort, 1,271 students were retained into Fall 2024 out of 1,731 students, producing a reported one-year retention rate of 73.43%. This cohort comparison measures Fall 2023 to Fall 2024 enrollment. Source: Fall 2024 Unofficial Enrollment Report.
For the Fall 2022 cohort, 1,109 students were retained into Fall 2024 out of 1,799 students, producing a reported two-year retention rate of 61.65%. The measurement period here is Fall 2022 to Fall 2024, not a one-year comparison. Source: Fall 2024 Unofficial Enrollment Report.
The report also lists the Fall 2021 cohort’s retention into Fall 2023: 1,166 students retained out of 1,844, for a reported two-year retention rate of 63.23%. Because this statistic ends in Fall 2023, it is a separate historical cohort measure from the Fall 2022-to-Fall 2024 figure. Source: Fall 2024 Unofficial Enrollment Report.
Reading the cohort counts alongside the percentages is useful because the denominator changes from one entering class to another. The retained count and the cohort size are both included here to keep each rate tied to its original population.
Together, the retention figures provide one one-year measure and two two-year measures, each tied to its stated cohort and ending term. They should not be treated as estimates of a future cohort’s outcome. The enrollment, credit-hour, demographic, entry-status, and retention figures above are reported statistics for the periods named; the source label is the Fall 2024 Unofficial Enrollment Report.