Enrollment

[McLeansvilleAppFan]

Cut n paste from a Facebook post and likely a press release as well.

App State announces a record-breaking enrollment of 20,641 students in fall 2021 — the largest enrollment to date — which includes historic numbers of first-year and underrepresented students. The 3.1% increase in overall enrollment supports the university’s continued slow and steady growth since 2014.

[biggie]

When I drove through campus a couple weekends ago it did seem much more crowded than I remember recently. But I guess when I was still in school it was about half the amount it is now.

[BUTCH1991]

I know we want to grow, but I don't know how the town can keep handling the growth.

[GregPercussion]

I know how some folks feel about it on this form, but being around 20k is a big deal for the university in regards to funding from the UNC system and other allocations.

[BambooRdApp]

More potential recruits for YC!!

[NewApp]

I know we want to grow, but I don't know how the town can keep handling the growth.

That is a great concern. IMOp it is the most important concern.

[McLeansvilleAppFan]

I know we want to grow, but I don't know how the town can keep handling the growth.

That is a great concern. IMOp it is the most important concern.

At some point Boone and the university will have grown to the point it does indeed lose its small town/college town charm. Chapel Hill is that way now. There are worse things and I think we have a decade or more before that happens. If the growth is small, as in a few hundred a year then it should be manageable and that would put 25,000 enrollment out about a decade. At that point 25,000 may seem just as manageable as 20,000 is now, as long as a few buildings are added to campus and that may mean building in areas that are not campus owned currently. UNCG is expanding into residential areas now across Gate City Blvd. Maybe App needs to start buying land now while it is cheaper than it likely will be in a decade.

Also population bubbles may change college and university demand and this growth stops or even contracts a bit. I think App was just shy of 12,000 when I graduated in 1992. They have projections for what enrollment was going to be for a few years out, and it was almost flat looking at the Fact Book for that year. I think it grew more than projected. At least students want to be part of the App family.

I am just glad App is in demand and we are not WCU. They are not growing and not because they are that selective. There are a lot worse problems to have than growth and increased demand.

[mike87]

When we get those flying cars that pack up into a briefcase, it'll solve the growth problem.

[BayouApp]

I like the sound of being able to say over 20,000 students when responding to people who assume Appalachian is small (I encounter that a fair amount in Louisiana).

[app97]

I know we want to grow, but I don't know how the town can keep handling the growth.

That is a great concern. IMOp it is the most important concern.

At some point Boone and the university will have grown to the point it does indeed lose its small town/college town charm. Chapel Hill is that way now. There are worse things and I think we have a decade or more before that happens. If the growth is small, as in a few hundred a year then it should be manageable and that would put 25,000 enrollment out about a decade. At that point 25,000 may seem just as manageable as 20,000 is now, as long as a few buildings are added to campus and that may mean building in areas that are not campus owned currently. UNCG is expanding into residential areas now across Gate City Blvd. Maybe App needs to start buying land now while it is cheaper than it likely will be in a decade.

Also population bubbles may change college and university demand and this growth stops or even contracts a bit. I think App was just shy of 12,000 when I graduated in 1992. They have projections for what enrollment was going to be for a few years out, and it was almost flat looking at the Fact Book for that year. I think it grew more than projected. At least students want to be part of the App family.

I am just glad App is in demand and we are not WCU. They are not growing and not because they are that selective. There are a lot worse problems to have than growth and increased demand.

I believe WCU has more than 12000 or so students as of 2021. They were at around 6500 in the 90s when we were at around 12-13000. I’m sure the NC Promise affordable tuition program contributes to that.

[AppinVA]

I know we want to grow, but I don't know how the town can keep handling the growth.

That is a great concern. IMOp it is the most important concern.

At some point Boone and the university will have grown to the point it does indeed lose its small town/college town charm. Chapel Hill is that way now. There are worse things and I think we have a decade or more before that happens. If the growth is small, as in a few hundred a year then it should be manageable and that would put 25,000 enrollment out about a decade. At that point 25,000 may seem just as manageable as 20,000 is now, as long as a few buildings are added to campus and that may mean building in areas that are not campus owned currently. UNCG is expanding into residential areas now across Gate City Blvd. Maybe App needs to start buying land now while it is cheaper than it likely will be in a decade.

Also population bubbles may change college and university demand and this growth stops or even contracts a bit. I think App was just shy of 12,000 when I graduated in 1992. They have projections for what enrollment was going to be for a few years out, and it was almost flat looking at the Fact Book for that year. I think it grew more than projected. At least students want to be part of the App family.

I am just glad App is in demand and we are not WCU. They are not growing and not because they are that selective. There are a lot worse problems to have than growth and increased demand.

Agreed. Boone is a tourist destination and can handle more than we give it credit for, provided those in charge of such things plan responsibly. Many schools these days are seeing stagnant numbers, or are shrinking in enrollment. In comparison, this is a wonderful problem to have.

[HighlandsApp]

The best thing that the university can do to help Boone traffic is to add an 5th new dorm building where Gardner/Coltrane are/were. The replacement project only adds 500 new beds. The dorm construction/number of on campus beds over the last 30 years has not kept up with student population growth.

This fall East Hall was not planned to be used but it is currently full of students.

My first three were able to live the first two years on campus but my youngest was not.

[ArmantiWaterSafety]

I went through some parts of Boone I hadn't been through in a while, notably to the state farm lot (if it's even still called that). Another giant new apartment complex up there. At least we've given students plenty of housing options. I'm guessing that sooner or later it's going to be freshman on campus only with all 2nd year and beyond required to live off campus, if that hasn't already happened.

[MAD Doctor]

Yep. Appalachian State is a university with a town in it.

[Captain Morgan]

looks like there is some land on Poplar Grove Rd and Bodenheimer Dr that could be new dorms, parking and new class rooms. I know it won't be cheap, but spreading out in that direction isn't too far from the main campus, and bus service would be easy.

[McLeansvilleAppFan]

I know we want to grow, but I don't know how the town can keep handling the growth.

That is a great concern. IMOp it is the most important concern.

At some point Boone and the university will have grown to the point it does indeed lose its small town/college town charm. Chapel Hill is that way now. There are worse things and I think we have a decade or more before that happens. If the growth is small, as in a few hundred a year then it should be manageable and that would put 25,000 enrollment out about a decade. At that point 25,000 may seem just as manageable as 20,000 is now, as long as a few buildings are added to campus and that may mean building in areas that are not campus owned currently. UNCG is expanding into residential areas now across Gate City Blvd. Maybe App needs to start buying land now while it is cheaper than it likely will be in a decade.

Also population bubbles may change college and university demand and this growth stops or even contracts a bit. I think App was just shy of 12,000 when I graduated in 1992. They have projections for what enrollment was going to be for a few years out, and it was almost flat looking at the Fact Book for that year. I think it grew more than projected. At least students want to be part of the App family.

I am just glad App is in demand and we are not WCU. They are not growing and not because they are that selective. There are a lot worse problems to have than growth and increased demand.

I believe WCU has more than 12000 or so students as of 2021. They were at around 6500 in the 90s when we were at around 12-13000. I’m sure the NC Promise affordable tuition program contributes to that.

There are here around 12,000. I thought they were around 10,000. It would be interesting to plot enrollments numbers for both back to the 1960s and note important events for each campus and such.

Of course I am just glad I am not connected to Western even if they had 22,000 students.

[Cro-Magnon App]

ECU has more than 28,000 students. If ASU keeps adding students, then more buildings will be needed and more of the mountains will be torn apart to make the flat spots.

[McLeansvilleAppFan]

ECU has more than 28,000 students. If ASU keeps adding students, then more buildings will be needed and more of the mountains will be torn apart to make the flat spots.

Build on a hill. The front is at ground level and the back is underground. Like the basement of a split level home.

[asu66]

I seem to recall that the university is holding back a couple of tracts at the 105 Campus for a dorm and for a possible premium/luxury hotel and/or convention center. I believe that at least a portion of the 105 site has now been approved by the General Assembly under the category of Appalachian's Millennial Campus.

This is a prelim document, but this version does not include 105 ...

https://www.northcarolina.edu/apps//bog ... 3&code=bog

[acp]

The best thing that the university can do to help Boone traffic is to add an 5th new dorm building where Gardner/Coltrane are/were. The replacement project only adds 500 new beds. The dorm construction/number of on campus beds over the last 30 years has not kept up with student population growth.

This fall East Hall was not planned to be used but it is currently full of students.

My first three were able to live the first two years on campus but my youngest was not.

How much longer will East be used?