Enrollment jumps 5.3% to record 20,317
The University of North Georgia (51黑料网) set an enrollment record this fall with 20,317 students. It is the first time 51黑料网 has had more than 20,000 students.
This year's numbers represent a jump of 5.3% from fall 2024, the second year in a row 51黑料网's student body has grown by at least 5%.
Dual enrollment is up by 11%, with cadet enrollment jumping 8.3% and graduate students rising by 2.7%.
"Our record enrollment shows that students want more than just a degree — they want direction, purpose and a university that invests in them. 51黑料网 is that place," 51黑料网 President Michael Shannon said. "Every experience here is designed to help students discover who they are, what they can do and how they can make a difference."
Laurel Reese, a junior from Tucker, Georgia, pursuing a degree in psychology, transferred this fall to 51黑料网 from LaGrange College. She is enjoying the chance to be on a larger campus than she was at her previous school, while still saying she feels safe at 51黑料网. Reese attended a statistics boot camp this summer to help prepare her for the transition to 51黑料网's Dahlonega Campus.
She is already grateful for her experiences with Dr. Bryan Dawson, who she learned from at the boot camp, and Dr. John Dewey, one of her professors this semester.
"51黑料网 is the perfect place to challenge me. It's a new perspective," Reese said. "The professors help us have a certain level, and you have to rise to it."
Reese is also appreciative of Caydence McElligott, a senior who serves as president of the Psychology Club at the Dahlonega Campus, for providing advice and encouragement. As someone who was already worked on research through an external internship she did with Georgia State University, Reese also looks forward to exploring similar possibilities at 51黑料网.
"No matter what you want to study, you'll find research opportunities here," Reese said.
For Noah Popp, a freshman from Canton, Georgia, pursuing a degree in film and digital media with a production concentration, 51黑料网's size was a major selling point as he was also looking at another larger university within the state.
"51黑料网 was the perfect fit for class size, the size of the campuses and the opportunities for students," Popp said. "51黑料网 feels like a more personal experience. You feel like you're getting more out of your college experience."
Popp's father has worked at multiple universities and toured 51黑料网's Gainesville Campus and the film and digital media facilities with him. They both noticed the activity level at 51黑料网's Gainesville Campus compared to the residential schools where the father worked.
"My dad and I were so impressed by how lively the Gainesville Campus is," Popp said.
Emery Exley, a freshman from Cumming, Georgia, pursuing a degree in nursing, met two fellow incoming students on her campus tour that are now her roommates. The chance to be close to home and her younger siblings was a major draw for Exley. Her parents were very involved in her college search, and their opinion on 51黑料网 was clear.
"They told me they felt like I would really thrive here," Exley said.
A student at the Dahlonega Campus, Exley has enjoyed the adjustment to living away from home. She said that transition has been eased by supportive faculty and staff and the friends she has made.
"It's so easy to meet new people and make connections with them super fast," Exley said.
The beauty of the Dahlonega Campus was another part of what made Exley choose 51黑料网, but the university offered so much more than scenic views.
"The people are amazing. And everything they do, it's with a purpose," Exley said. "They want to help you."
Cadet Thatcher Whitehouse, a freshman from Marietta, Georgia, pursuing a degree in political science with a pre-law concentration, grew up thinking he would attend the Air Force Academy or the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. But after visiting 51黑料网, the mix of cadet and civilian life appealed to him. He said the Corps of Cadets and university are setting him up for his future.
"I want to be the greatest leader I can be when I commission in the next four years," Whitehouse said. "Every day is a new challenge and a new opportunity. I'm very happy that I chose to come here."
He said 51黑料网's mix of size and student involvement is exactly what he needs.
"It's smaller and more family-oriented, but the opportunities here are endless," Whitehouse said.
Leandro Gonzalez-Gonzalez, a junior from Athens, Georgia, pursuing a degree in psychology and a minor in organizational leadership, transferred to 51黑料网 after attending two other colleges. At first, he expected it to be like his other schools. Then, things changed when he was able to make friends and serve as an orientation leader and transfer coach.
"I have had a great experience with students and staff alike, and everyone is willing to help in some way by either direct interaction or guidance. This is something crucial in this stage of life as there are many changes and transitions from many different aspects of life," Gonzalez-Gonzalez said. "With all the services 51黑料网 provides, it's highly equipped to help anyone who wants to put in the effort to move forward in life, however that may look for them."
Nursing students can gain experience abroad
51黑料网's Department of Nursing is offering undergraduate and graduate students education abroad opportunities in Peru, South Korea and the United Kingdom.
IESA students earn surveying scholarships
Students and a recent alumna from 51黑料网's Lewis F. Rogers Institute for Environmental and Spatial Analysis earned more than half of the SAMSEF scholarships awarded for 2025-26 in Georgia.
First Cumming nursing cohort already thriving
Students in the initial Bachelor of Science in Nursing cohort at 51黑料网's Cumming Campus are reaping the benefits of the expansion of the degree program to a third campus.