Enrollment at Dalton State College remained flat for the fall 2022 semester amid a slight decline for the University System of Georgia (USG) overall, according to USG’s fall 2022 semester enrollment report.
USG enrollment declined for the second consecutive year, consistent with trends seen at public university systems nationally. USG had a -2.3% decrease in undergraduates this fall. Average enrollment at state colleges within the system saw an overall decrease of -2.4%.
Fall 2022 is the first year Dalton State has not seen an enrollment decline since Fall 2016.
“After five years of enrollment declines, Dalton State is pleased to report our enrollment remained flat this fall,” said Jodi Johnson, vice president of student affairs and enrollment management. “Maintaining our overall enrollment numbers can be attributed largely to the 10% increase in first-time freshmen this fall.”
Full-time enrollment and the number of students living on campus have increased since last fall.
“Our full-time enrollment increased by 1%. Students are taking more classes and are fully engaged on campus,” said Johnson. “The number of students living in the residence hall also increased by 11.5%.”
Hispanic enrollment continues to increase and accounts for approximately 36% of student enrollment, up 7% since Dalton State was designated Georgia’s first Hispanic-Serving Institution in Georgia.
“I’m so glad to see our enrollment has stabilized after several challenging years especially since the onset of the pandemic,” said Margaret Venable, Dalton State president. “I’m also grateful to see our Hispanic/Latinx student population continues to grow as we become increasingly reflective of our community demographics.”
The enrollment numbers were released in the USG’s annual fall semester enrollment report, which analyzes enrollment data by institution, age, gender, race and ethnicity, in-state, out-of-state and international students. The full report can be accessed at https://www.usg.edu/research/enrollment_reports/
