Ohio University sees record first year student enrollment

ATHENS, Ohio (WSAZ) - The amount of first year students in and around Ohio University has reached record numbers.

Ohio University says first year student enrollment tipped over the 4,500 for the first time ever.

Additionally, Ohio University’s total preliminary enrollment for fall 2023 came in at just over 28,000 across all campuses the university saying enrollment is up 2.5 percent.

Thursday, WSAZ asked Ohio University officials what they think they are doing right.

“We are getting the word out about the total experience at o-u so you can go many places and get a wonderful degree what we tell students will happen here... because you get such a return on investment for coming here because it’s way beyond just your classroom experiences,” Ohio University President, Lori Gonzalez said.

For comparison, Marshall University in Huntington says preliminary numbers indicate they are up 4.2 percent compared with last fall, while West Virginia university reported an undergraduate enrollment of just over 18,000 for their Morgantown campus, down from nearly 25,000 in 2022.

WSAZ reached out to the University of Kentucky and Ohio State University for their fall 2023 numbers, and their preliminary numbers had not been made available as of Thursday.

Ohio University says they are also focused on providing a more predictable economic experience for students.

“You know we we’re the first institution in the state of Ohio in 2015 to introduce the Ohio Guarantee. That fixed rate table of tuition fees, room meal plan, etcetera... that families can plan and and sort of understand what their cost will be overtime,” Vice President for Enrollment Management, Candace Boeninger said.

Ohio University says investing in students long term success will be a key for consistent enrollment numbers going forward.

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