The Oval, at the heart of The Ohio State University, is bustling with people and opportunities. Credit: Zachary Riley | Lantern Photo File
The Buckeye family is larger than ever before.
Ohio State released its Autumn 2024 15-Day Enrollment Report Sept. 17 — which compiles all demographics of the university’s enrollment, including statistics regarding the incoming first-year class and the entire undergraduate student population — revealing record-breaking enrollment numbers.
Increase in enrollment
Ohio State reported a 19.4% increase in new first-year students’ enrollment compared to last school year. The class of 2028 is the largest class in Ohio State’s history, with 9,530 incoming undergraduates. Ohio State’s total enrollment increased by 2.3% from 2023 with 66,901 students enrolled, according to the report.
The university also had a record high of graduate student enrollment, with 11,408 graduate students enrolled at the Columbus campus, according to the report.
The university’s strategy aims to increase enrollment and retention — particularly for the regional campuses — through targeted marketing strategies, the report states.
“In response to declines in college-going rates and projections of a demographic downturn impacting the regional campuses, we are finalizing the university’s first regional campus enrollment turnaround plan, which considers all levers impacting enrollment on those campuses,” the report states.
This increase in enrollment may pose concerns for new first-year students; still, the report states there are various organizations intended to help students thrive academically and socially.
“We have a robust campus experience for students,” said James Orr, vice provost for strategic enrollment management and an author of the report. “We work to ensure that when they come to us, they have a host of student organizations that they can participate in. We have a host of support services for students to ensure that they are able to be supported during their time with us.”
The new first-year class has greatly contributed to the number of students on campus, which now totals 46,815 undergraduate students, according to the report.
“Ohio State is a destination of choice for students and families,” Orr said. “Part of that is our academic profile, as we are a strong academic institution. But also, we engage students to ensure their success while they’re here with us.”
Enrollment demographics
The class of 2028’s admissions process comes on the heels of the United States Supreme Court’s decision to end affirmative action in June 2023.
“Ohio State is deeply committed to following the law, so after the Supreme Court decision, we immediately paused our admissions to new programs, and we updated all of our policies, procedures and strategies to be consistent with the law,” Orr said.
The university has enrolled 2,813 minority students in the new first-year class, accounting for 29.5% of the collective group. This statistic is consistent compared to previous years, despite the aforementioned change in national admission policy.
The report states that African American and Hispanic student enrollment has reached a record high at Ohio State; moreover, over a sixth of the total Columbus undergraduate student population, 18.2%, consists of first-generation students.
Most of the total undergraduate student population hails from Ohio, with 71.1% being in-state students. Out-of-state students accounted for 19.4% of the population, while 9.4% were international students.
The report also displays the percentage of total undergraduate Columbus students in each academic area, with a majority of students — 34.8% — studying fields within the College of Arts and Sciences.
Engineering and architecture also account for a significant portion of students, with 19.6% of students studying these disciplines. Additionally, over a sixth of total undergraduate students are studying business.
The new first-year class is also academically gifted — 96% of new first-year students graduated in the top quarter of their respective high school classes, and 64% graduated in the top 10%.
“We are deeply committed to serving Ohio residents and recruiting the best and the brightest students possible, so we feel good about our enrollment growth, the quality of the class and the student experience,” Orr said.
This story was updated Tuesday, Oct. 1 2024 at 9:35 a.m. to correct statistics pertaining to the enrollment of new first-year students and graduate students.
