Enrollment at Southern University continues to rise for fifth consecutive year

Southern University and A&M College continues to enjoy significant enrollment growth that now spans over the past five years. For the fall 2021 semester, a preliminary total of 7,404 students are currently enrolled at the flagship campus of the Southern University System. This is an overall increase of seven percent from the fall semester of 2020 and a particularly noteworthy 17 percent increase in the number of first-time freshmen currently attending the institution. These numbers include both undergraduate and graduate students.

“This steady increase in enrollment is an obvious testament that Southern University continues to stand as a premier institution of higher learning,” said Ray L. Belton, president-chancellor of the Southern University System and chancellor of Southern University and A&M College. “It is also a testament that students look to Southern to create and continue legacies that positively impact their families and communities.”

While Southern continues to have a majority enrollment of Black students, enrollment has also increased from fall 2020 among several other racial and ethnic groups. This includes a 75 percent increase in students of Asian descent, a 25 percent increase in students of Native American or Alaskan Indian descent, and a 15 percent increase in students of Hispanic descent.

Students come from 40 states in the U.S., including Louisiana, with 63 parishes represented. Nearly 30 countries are also represented in this fall class. With the given enrollment growth, Southern is well-positioned for target goal attainment as indicated in the campus strategic plan.

Southern was recently named among the top 20 Historically Black Colleges and Universities in the nation by U.S. News and World Report. The university is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award baccalaureate, master’s, and doctoral degrees.