Demand For Texas A&M Education At All-Time High
More students than ever are choosing Texas A&M University for its time-honored traditions, Core Values and commitment to educational excellence, resulting in record applications and enrollment numbers for the fall 2024 semester.
Increasing demand for an Aggie education translated to a 2.1% increase in enrollment over last fall, with 79,105 students enrolled at Texas A&M University — across all of its locations — as of the 20th day of classes on Sept. 16. Much of the enrollment growth was concentrated in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Mays Business School, Texas A&M University Law School and the Bush School of Government and Public Service with graduate programs accounting for more than half of the overall growth.
“The demand for an Aggie education has never been higher, and that says a lot about what we stand for: excellence, integrity, leadership, loyalty, respect and selfless service, in addition to giving our students a superior academic experience,” said General (Ret.) Mark A. Welsh III, president of Texas A&M. “As we lead the state in educating Texans, we are committed to offering the No. 1 student experience to the next generation of leaders who will put those Core Values into practice to change our state and nation.”
By The Numbers
Out of the 72,560 students at the College Station campus, which saw a 2% enrollment increase over the fall 2023 term, 57,659 are undergraduates. More than half of the growth is attributed to graduate students. This growth occurred in unison with a modest and strategic decrease in new, first-time undergraduates.
Texas A&M reported 12,531 first-time college students this semester, which includes students enrolled in programs at A&M Engineering Academies across the state as well as the Galveston and McAllen campuses. This represents a 9.8% decrease from fall 2023. Meanwhile, first-time graduate student enrollment is up 9.8% from 4,630 last fall to a current total of 5,083.
“We strategically grew specific programs on campus while intentionally enrolling a smaller new undergraduate cohort this year,” said Chris Reed, associate vice president for enrollment management and chief enrollment officer. “Doing so has allowed us to enroll yet another highly competitive class while ensuring we can maintain a world-class student experience.”
Of the freshman students admitted across all Texas A&M campuses this fall, 47% were among the top 10% of their graduating high school classes. That number is 50% for freshmen enrolled at the College Station campus. Texans comprise 94% of the undergraduate student body at Texas A&M.
As the largest university in the state, growing at a rate double that of other public universities over the past 10 years, Texas A&M has been closely monitoring and analyzing the impact of its growth on the campus community. Earlier this year, the university conducted a Capacity Study to review the current infrastructure, teaching capacities and staffing levels and identify current and future capacity of enrollment on the main campus. The study, which is being finalized for submission to the university president, includes a proposed recommendation to pause undergraduate enrollment growth for the next five years on the main campus to allow for appropriate planning and development to support current enrollments and prepare for future growth. Should that recommendation be accepted, Texas A&M could continue to grow enrollment through its remote locations, admit Texas students who graduate in the top 10% of their graduating class with no restrictions, and expand online and graduate programs.
“If the university pauses undergraduate enrollment growth in College Station for a period of time, Texas A&M would remain the largest university in the state, continue to admit the largest freshman class in the state if not the country, and still increase overall enrollment during that time,” said Joseph P. Pettibon II, vice president for planning, assessment and strategy, who led the Capacity Study Committee. “The proposed recommendation simply provides an opportunity for the university to continue to grow in the right places while building the infrastructure and capacity to meet current needs and prepare for the future.”
Growing Visibility
Record applicant numbers and the resulting enrollment growth come alongside a period of increased national and global recognition for the university.
Earlier this month, The Wall Street Journal named Texas A&M the best university in Texas and No. 11 among the nation’s public universities. That ranking was based on factors including graduates’ salaries, career preparation, learning facilities and “character score,” defined as the extent to which students feel the college “has developed character strengths that will help them to make a meaningful contribution to society.”
Texas A&M’s heightened profile is also evidenced by its ranking as the nations’ 14th-most recognized university — and the most recognized university in the state — according to the latest global visibility rankings from higher education research and consulting firm American Caldwell.
More information on preliminary fall 2024 student enrollment and demographics is available through the Office of Academic and Business Performance Analytics.
Texas A&M University’s main campus is located in College Station, Texas, and includes the Texas A&M Health Science Center, as well as remote locations in Fort Worth, Galveston, McAllen and Doha, Qatar.
