With 5,362 students enrolled for the fall trimester, William Carey University has broken its all-time enrollment record, again, with a two percent increase over last fall’s 5,260 students.
“Two percent may not sound like a large increase, but keep in mind, William Carey’s enrollment has been rising steadily throughout the pandemic period. We are thankful for our students, who have entrusted us to help them achieve their educational goals in challenging times,” said WCU President Dr. Tommy King.
This overall increase also includes a record for WCU’s Tradition campus near Long Beach, which grew more than thirteen percent, from 864 students to 1,001 students.
The university’s psychology department saw an increase of eight percent, while the School of Education’s overall enrollment rose six percent over last fall, and the number of undergraduate education majors grew by thirteen percent.
“With teacher education enrollment down thirty percent across the nation, and Mississippi struggling to recruit and retain high-quality classroom teachers, I am thrilled as a retired K-12 educator that William Carey is defying the odds and building enrollment to help with our persistent teacher shortage,” said Dr. Ben Burnett, WCU executive vice president.
Meanwhile, the WCU College of Osteopathic Medicine was authorized by its accrediting agency in 2019 to double the size of its first-year class. Now in year two of a three-year expansion plan, WCUCOM welcomed 188 first-year medical students in August. In fall 2022, the WCU College of Osteopathic Medicine will accept more than 200 first-year medical students.
When its three-phase enrollment increase is complete, the WCU College of Osteopathic Medicine will have an enrollment of 800 students – making it the largest medical school in the state.
