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While my time at Wichita State as a student and working professional now spans nearly 25 years and our university has been around for 127 years,  it鈥檚 hard for me to identify a more exciting time to be a Shocker than this moment right now.
 
The Kansas Board of Regents announced 2022 enrollment for all of the public universities and colleges in the state and Wichita State stands tall with enrollment pressing close to 17,000 students (16,921 to be exact).

Why is this special? It鈥檚 the largest enrollment the university has had since 1989 and I think it symbolizes that more students are finding a home in Shocker Nation. I think it speaks to the value families are finding in what Wichita State focuses on, which is delivering high-quality, real-world experiences and internships in the setting of the state鈥檚 largest city, at a price tag that makes us the most affordable research university in Kansas.
 
Here's a few highlights of our incoming new student class:

• This fall鈥檚 freshmen class, coupled with 2021鈥檚 incoming class, represent the TWO largest freshmen classes in the university鈥檚 127-year history.
• We had growth of 9.6% in new transfer students, further solidifying our claim as the state鈥檚 No. 1 transfer destination. It鈥檚 a crown we鈥檝e been honored to wear for 11 years in a row.
• New business majors 鈥� up nearly 11% from last year 鈥� are now able to enjoy a brand new $60 million business school home, Woolsey Hall, which opened at the start of the semester.
• A focus for Wichita State continues to be access. In addition to a cumulative increase in all minority students, we approached nearly 20% of our new students hailing from Hispanic backgrounds. With this persistent growth trend, it's likely our university will be officially named an Emerging Hispanic Serving Institution this spring. In addition, we had an increase of 4.2% in first generation students who will be the first in their families to graduate from a four year university.
• Locally, more Wichita-area students are selecting their hometown university with an increase of 8.4% from Sedgwick County.

If you鈥檙e conducting a college search right now, you鈥檙e probably wondering why this should matter to you. More students means our university has the propensity to offer greater vibrancy in student life, an array of resources for student success, more connections and partnerships from employers in the region and the possibility to meet some really awesome college classmates along the way. It鈥檚 truly a special time in our university鈥檚 history and we invite you to see it for yourself. Schedule a campus visit today and we dare you to see what鈥檚 fueling our enrollment growth in-person, with your own eyes and perspective.