Texas A&M announced a record number of students in graduate, master’s and total enrollment for the fall 2021 semester and an increase in students of color and women, according to an article on Texas A&M Today.
As of the 20th day of class, enrollment for A&M totaled 73,284 students at the College Station campus, a 3.1 percent increase from last year, while the graduate program set a record number with 15,894 students, almost 1,000 more students from the fall 2020 numbers. The number of graduate students represents 21.6 percent of the total student enrollment. Additionally, the freshman class also showed growth with the largest number of first-year students to date, totaling 12,459.
The master’s enrollment recorded a 9.8 percent increase, with 714 students, and a growth in the number of minority students by 5.8 percent; female students represented 56.6 percent of the growth. The graduate enrollment saw similar trends with an increase of 8.8 percent growth of minority students and a 8.5 percent increase of female students.
Investing in the growth of graduate and professional programs has been an ongoing priority, Associate Provost and Dean of the Graduate and Professional School Karen Butler-Purry said.
“Our record enrollment for fall 2021 demonstrates that investments in growing our research enterprise and expanding graduate student funding and services have combined to grow Texas A&M’s reputation as a top destination for graduate and professional students. We look forward to building on this momentum,” Butler-Purry said to Texas A&M Today. “Graduate and professional students make vital contributions to our university in teaching and research, participate and serve in leadership roles in campus organizations and bring diversity to our campuses.”