Samford University has set an enrollment record for the 13th consecutive year, a remarkable achievement considering the unprecedented challenges facing national higher education. University officials confirmed a record of 5,758 students in its undergraduate and graduate programs enrolled for the Fall 2021 semester.
Included in the totals are 3,607 undergraduate and 2,151 graduate/professional students, representing 48 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and 22 countries. The entering freshman class is made up of 918 students.
“Our 13th year of record enrollment is a result of hard work and resilience by our faculty and staff. Even during these challenging times, Samford has remained steadfast in its commitment to educate and nurture our students,” said Samford Vice President of Student Affairs and Enrollment Management R. Philip Kimrey. “The extraordinary efforts of our admissions team are also essential in recruiting students to Samford. I am grateful for our employees and to the students who choose to attend this exceptional university.”
Due to extensive planning and innovative approaches in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the university was able to adapt and develop informative, engaging ways to share the Samford experience with prospective, incoming and returning students. Samford’s faculty and leadership found ways to persevere, preserving the student experience and maintaining a focus on its mission to nurture the development of intellect, creativity and faith. As a result, throughout the 2020-2021 academic year, most course work across undergraduate and graduate degree programs continued to be taught in either face-to-face or hybrid formats in order to maximize the number of in-person learning experiences. The university returned to normal operations this fall.
The record fall enrollment comes at a time of growing national recognition and expansion across the academic programs at the university. Most recently, Samford was recognized as one of the best universities in the nation for undergraduate teaching. U.S. News & World Report ranked it as 37th in the nation on the Best Undergraduate Teaching list, placing it in the top 1% of colleges and universities in the country. It is also the only university in Alabama to make this list.
To learn more about Samford or to find out more information about applying to the university, visit the Office of Admission website.