“We believe this record enrollment is driven by word of mouth—our current students telling our incoming students and their families that USA has high quality academic programs and caring faculty who are committed to the individual success of each student,” said USA President Gordon Moulton. “We will continue to provide these things even as we grow.

“Students today have many college options, and we’re gratified that they continue to see USA as an exceptional value for their educational dollar, making South Alabama one of the fastest growing universities in the state.”

USA has also enrolled a record number of graduate students for the third straight year. Graduate school enrollment is 2,670 students, up 13.7 percent from last year’s record.

The average ACT score for USA’s freshmen is 22.4. While national data has not been compiled this year, this would rank USA in the 73rd percentile nationally based on 2002 comparisons. The USA entering class also reflects strong diversity, with African-Americans making up approximately 14 percent of the freshman class.

Approximately 2,800 USA students this year hold academic scholarships, bolstered by increased private giving to the University and a new scholarship program approved by the USA Board of Trustees four years ago.

Among USA’s schools and colleges, Nursing saw the greatest one-year increase in undergraduate enrollment, up 36.4 percent to 1,150. The largest increase in graduate enrollment is in Engineering, with 208 students, up 47.5 percent from last year.

Here are total enrollments for USA’s colleges and schools: Arts and Sciences, 3,562; Mitchell College of Business, 1,855; Education, 2,557; Engineering, 960; Allied Health Professions, 1,253; Nursing, 1,709; Computer and Information Sciences, 564; Continuing Education and Special Programs, 341; and Medicine, 485.

A total of 2,064 students graduated from USA in 2002-2003, and the school’s alumni now number more than 51,000.

USA’s enrollment had risen to a peak of 12,600 in 1994, but fell by more than 400 when the Alabama Legislature in 1996 declared that students in four USA feeder counties in Florida and Mississippi would be required to pay non-resident tuition, after earlier being allowed to attend USA at the in-state tuition rate. Students in Okaloosa and Walton counties in Florida and Hancock and Pearl River counties in Mississippi saw their tuition immediately double.