Bucking a national trend , freshman enrollment at Oklahoma public colleges and universities has increased for the fall 2024 academic semester, part of an overall rise in the number of students seeking degrees in the state.
According to new figures announced by the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education, 29,488 freshmen are enrolled in the state higher education system, an increase of 6.4%, or 1,774 students, compared to the fall 2023 semester.
The state system is comprised of 25 colleges and universities – including two research universities, 10 regional universities, one public liberal arts university and 12 community colleges – and 10 constituent agencies and one university center.
Overall, 169,004 students are enrolled within the Oklahoma state higher education system this fall, Stephanie Baird, the associate vice chancellor for system analysis and reporting, told state regents while presenting the agency’s Fall 2024 preliminary enrollment report at a meeting on Thursday. That’s up 4.5%, or 7,304, across the state system from fall 2023 .