Oklahoma City University’s strong enrollment momentum has continued in the spring semester, with the school’s student count reaching an impressive milestone this semester.
With the number of students starting class in January hitting 2,755, university enrollment has exceeded numbers recorded at the start of the fall semester, which is a rarity in higher education.
“A spring enrollment coming in at 95% of the previous fall semester enrollment is considered good,” said Kevin Windholz, vice president for Enrollment Management at OCU. “A 101% rate like we have achieved this semester is remarkable.”
This marks the first time in records dating back to 2010 that OCU spring enrollment has equaled or surpassed the previous fall enrollment, Windholz said.
The 2,755 enrolled students represent an increase of 331 compared to the spring semester in 2023, a year-over-year increase of nearly 14%.
The increase has been driven largely by gains in the Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing program; the Master of Science in Computer Science program; and the Leadership, Data Analytics and Financial Analytics concentrations in the Master of Business Administration program.
The existing Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing program was modified in the fall to reduce program duration from 16 months to 12 months, creating the state’s first and only 12-month, in-person accelerated BSN program. In addition, the program price was reduced in order to make the offering more competitive in the marketplace.
The Master of Science in Computer Science and the two analytics-related MBA concentrations have delivered strong interest and enrollment by international students from India, Nigeria and Pakistan.
The Leadership MBA has offered a boost in domestic enrollment thanks to a new corporate partnership with the Oklahoma Blood Institute.
Almost half of the spring growth has occurred in the Meinders School of Business, which has increased spring enrollment by nearly 61% year over year. The Petree College of Arts & Sciences and the Wanda L. Bass School of Music each recorded increases of 15% or more, while gains were also seen in the dance, nursing and theatre schools.
The strong spring enrollment builds on impressive numbers from the fall semester, when OCU recorded a nearly 8% climb in total enrollment year over year and its largest class of first-year students in more than a decade.
OCU President Kenneth Evans said the enrollment progress should be celebrated by the campus community.
“These numbers shine the spotlight on our efforts to deliver new programming that is relevant to the community and cognizant of broader industry and workforce needs,” Evans said. “We are now playing an important role not only in our city and state, but in the global workforce conversation.”
