WCU sees strong fall 2024 enrollment, retention rate
By Julia Duvall
The fall semester is in full swing at WCU and that means a busy campus life, which is reflected in the enrollment report that is released each semester.
For the first time since fall 2020, WCU has seen an increase in total enrollment with 11,686 students enrolled for the fall 2024 semester.
“WCU worked diligently to overcome federal financial aid hurdles and realized an increase in total enrollment over last fall and its fourth-largest fall student total,” said Phil Cauley, associate vice chancellor of undergraduate enrollment.
This fall’s new first-time, full-time freshmen class of 2,037 also marked the fourth-largest cohort in WCU’s history.
New transfer students for fall 2024 crested the 1,000 mark (1,003) for the sixth time. The continuation of healthy undergraduate student enrollment played a major role in total enrollment gains.
The first-year retention rate of 79.1% improved 3.6% over last year and 7.8% over the past two years, rebounding from declines that occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Other notable increases include an uptick in male student enrollment, which went from 4,736 in 2023 to 4,769 in 2024. WCU also saw more out of state students this fall (2,037) compared to last year (1,909), a 6.7% increase.
The enrollment numbers are from official census statistics compiled by WCU’s Office of Institutional Planning and Effectiveness and released late Friday, Aug. 28.
Although classes began Monday, Aug. 17, enrollment is not official until after the 10th day of classes, referred to as “census day.” Even then, the numbers are not considered final until any errors have been corrected and the files have been submitted to the University of North Carolina System office.
“We’ve turned on the application for fall 2025 and are hopeful that innovative programs such as Catamount Commitment will foster healthy future enrollment,” Cauley said. “Prospective students can register for weekday campus tours and Saturday open houses at visit.wcu.edu.”
For more information about the fall 2025 application, visit apply.wcu.edu. For more information about Catamount Commitment visit catamountcommitment.wcu.edu.
