Enrollment climbs
0Written By: Shelby Schilling
The University of Pikeville fall enrollment numbers have once again broken a school record. This is the fifth year in a row that the enrollment number has broken the previous year’s number, with a total of 2,500 students, including the medical students, dual-credit classes, undergraduates, and graduate programs.
The University of Pikeville just keeps growing, too. UPIKE is one of the top 20 rising schools in the country according to the Chronicle of Higher Education. Gary Justice, vice president for enrollment management, said UPIKE should be in the top 5 of that list within the next few years.
Due to the record breaking numbers, the University of Pikeville has built more dorms and created more classes. Wickham Hall renovated the first floor that had previously been offices into additional dorm rooms. Also, more classes have been added, so the class sizes can stay small.
Justice said, “Dr. Hess has done a wonderful job opening up more sections and online classes.” In the near future, UPIKE plans to expand the nursing program.
Justice said, “UPIKE has plateaued where we can be at undergraduate levels in order to service our students properly.”
But, growth will continue in other areas. Thanks to the new optometry school opening, UPIKE can expand the nursing program, and it also plans to offer more graduate programs.