JACKSON – Jackson State University’s preliminary first-time freshmen enrollment increased to 1,155 students in Fall 2022 compared to 794 students in Fall 2021. This marks a near doubling of the cohort size since its Fall 2020 class of 623 students.
“It’s an exciting time to become a Jackson State University student, and we’re happy to see that the size of our freshmen class is on the rise,” said President Thomas K. Hudson. “I’d like to thank the Division of Enrollment Management for its efforts to recruit the best and brightest from across the country. If you spend time with these students, it’s obvious that they are determined to change the world, and we’re ready to help them do just that.”
The University credits the new Tiger Ready Scholarship program for assisting students with financial support to help make ends meet. The one-time award of up to $1,000 was awarded to incoming freshmen who did not receive other scholarships or grants.
“We made a conscious effort to hold Jackson State’s tuition flat over the past three years in order to keep access to our high-quality education as affordable as possible,” said Vice President for Enrollment Management Josiah Sampson, III. “As a result, our incoming students responded favorably and decided to make JSU their home away from home. We look forward to training them to make their dreams for their future careers a reality.”
The university’s current preliminary enrollment is 6,906 and represents a reduction of 174 students from last year’s preliminary figure of 7,080. The reduction reflects the impact of the Jackson water crisis, which forced the administration to postpone its freshmen’ move-in dates just days before the first arrivals. Throughout the system, Fall 2022 enrollment is 75,755, compared to 76,510 students enrolled in Fall 2021, representing a 1 percent decrease. According to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, undergraduate enrollment fell by 1.6 percent at public four-year institutions when comparing Fall 2022 enrollment and Fall 2021 enrollment.
“It’s always tough to lose even one student, especially when the extenuating circumstances of the city’s water infrastructure are beyond our control. However, this is just a minor setback, and we believe that the JSU experience will continue to encourage savvy students to give our top-tier programs a shot,” said Sampson.
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