Cameron University enrollment soars, administrators pleased

Cameron University enrollment has increased in almost every category during four of the last five semesters.

The fall report showed enrollment sitting at 3,700 students, according to a press release. The number increased by nearly 4 percent from Fall 2023 when 3,561 students enrolled. Current enrollment includes 488 members of CU’s freshman class, an increase of 7.25 percent from the previous fall.

Undergraduate enrollment increased slightly more than 2 percent, to 3,319 students, the release said. Graduate student enrollment hit 381 students, a massive 23.3 percent increase.

With this news, Jari Askins, CU Interim President, had a reason to smile.

“The efforts of Cameron University staff and faculty to attract and retain students continue to improve enrollment numbers,” Askins said. “The quest for more college graduates in Southwest Oklahoma begins with more students taking classes from the Lawton and Duncan campuses. From high school concurrent students to undergraduates to graduate students, Cameron University is trending upward.”

Concurrent enrollment, teenagers who are enrolled in both high school and college classes in order to get a head start on earning a college degree, jumped 14.6 percent from the previous year, the release said. Nearly 800 high school students are enrolled in CU coursework this fall.

Other areas where CU experienced increases include 235 first-time transfer students, up nearly 12.5 percent, and 37,346 total course hours taken, up by 1.6 percent.

Colleges and universities across the nation, including Oklahoma, have experienced declines in enrollment between 2015 and 2020, the trend only increasing during the pandemic, the release said. Higher education experts hope that recent increases are a sign that student pursuit of a college degree is returning to pre-pandemic normality.

Cameron continues to offer traditional, online, ITV and hybrid class formats, with 15 degree programs that can be completed entirely online. Enrollment for the Spring 2025 semester will open Oct. 25.