The Arizona Board of Regents said enrollment at the Arizona public universities has increased by 4.7% for this fall.
Compared to 2016, there was an increase of 18.9% for undergraduate programs, and the graduate program grew by 25%.
According to the ABOR's report for fiscal year 2020, enrollment for online degrees has increased by 112% since 2016 in Arizona public universities – with over 27% of students enrolled in online programs.
“It’s encouraging to know that enrollment continues to increase at the universities as our state transitions to the New Economy that is defined by jobs that require education past high school,” said ABOR Chair Larry E. Penley.
Out of the three public universities, Arizona State University has had the biggest growth year-over-year with 7.8% while the enrollment for online programs makes up 36.1%.
Northern Arizona University had a slight decline in enrollment of about 1%. NAU’s online enrollment makes up for 18.1%.
Meanwhile, the University of Arizona had a slight increase of about 1% in enrollment with 9.9% of the enrolled attending online programs this fall.
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“To ensure our workforce remains robust, we are advancing a plan to increase educational attainment among Arizonans through measures such as a need-based state financial aid program, expanded access to learning centers across the state and an expanded Arizona Teachers Academy to address teacher shortages,” said ABOR Executive Director John Arnold.
