The University of North Carolina System celebrated an important milestone this week with the state’s public universities surpassing more than a quarter of a million students for the first time. The record enrollment of more than 256,000 this fall represents a 3.4% increase over 2024.
The enrollment total is significant. It comes at a time that higher education is facing a demographic challenge caused by falling birth rates in the United States.
North Carolina’s historically black universities saw some of the largest percentage increases this year. Fayetteville State University saw enrollment rise 7.3%, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University was up 6.7%, with North Carolina Central University up 6.8%. Policies raising the enrollment caps for out-of-state students may have helped those HBCUs excel.
Read more at NC Newsline.
