2021 NSU Fact Book

104 NOVA SOUTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY Historical Highlights of Enrollment Student enrollment has grown rapidly since the first class enrolled in 1967. The university grew from a small graduate institution serving 17 Ph.D. students studying oceanography, physical science, and science education to a major university with nearly 21,000 students pursuing undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees in a wide variety of fields. Historically, the fastest rate of growth was during the university’s first decade of existence, when student enrollments reached more than 8,000. Between 1972 and 1973, enrollments almost tripled, increasing from 571 to 1,483 after the addition of distance education programs in educational leadership and higher educa- tion, as well as an M.B.A. program and a Ph.D. program in clinical psychology. In the fall of 2020, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, NSU students were given an opportunity to participate in Blendflex courses, allowing them to meet either in person or virtually, through online videoconferencing. Student Enrollment Figure 1 Unduplicated Fall Enrollment 1967–2020 Term Table 1 Change in Fall Enrollment 2011–2020 Year Enrollment by Degree Level Total Enrollment Annual Change Undergraduate Graduate Professional 2020 6,314 12,577 4,026 20,888 2% 2019 5,666 13,615 3,856 20,576 1% 2018 4,904 14,871 10,548 11,954 11,868 3,663 20,435 -2% 2017 4,497 15,667 3,719 20,793 -4% 2016 4,295 16,635 3,715 21,625 -7% 2015 4,641 17,120 3,724 23,236 -4% 2014 4,699 18,135 3,782 24,148 -6% 2013 5,156 3,879 25,670 -4% 2012 5,739 3,949 26,808 -6% 2011 6,397 4,025 28,557 -1% Source: IPEDS Enrollment Survey 0 30,000 25,000 20,000 15,000 10,000 5,000 Enrollment 1972 1967 1977 1982 1987 1992 1997 2002 2007 2012 2017 i r 1