ETSU's incoming class for fall 2024 totaled 2,138 with total enrollment nearing 14,000.

East Tennessee State University celebrated welcoming one of the largest incoming classes in the university's history earlier today during the quarterly meeting of the ETSU Board of Trustees.

ETSU's incoming class totaled 2,138 this fall — just three students short of last year's all-time largest undergraduate new student enrollment of 2,141. Nearly 3,300 students are residing in university housing this year, representing the largest number of students ever living on campus.

"To have back-to-back historic levels of enrollment is extraordinary," President Dr. Brian Noland said. "The high number of students choosing ETSU affirms that our university is becoming an institution of choice not just in Tennessee but throughout the Southeast region."

Sustaining incoming classes of 2,100 students is a foundational element within ETSU's Strategic Plan. The board also received updates on the university's progress toward other strategic plan initiatives, including increasing student support to improve retention and graduation rates, updating and enhancing campus facilities, adding new academic programs aligned to workforce and community needs, and growing research activity to drive innovation and improve community outcomes particularly related to health care.

"We are on track or ahead of schedule in meeting all of the targets outlined in the Strategic Plan adopted by this board," Noland said. "ETSU is excelling at all levels due to the hard work and expertise of our people. One of the key tenets of the strategic plan is to increase faculty and staff salaries to the level of our peers. Over the next few years, you will see us focus relentlessly on this goal, as we know attracting and retaining talent is critical to the long-term success of both the university and our region."

East Tennessee State University was founded in 1911 with a singular mission: to improve the quality of life for people in the region and beyond. Through its world-class health sciences programs and interprofessional approach to health care education, ETSU is a highly respected leader in rural health research and practices. The university also boasts nationally ranked programs in the arts, technology, computing, and media studies. ETSU serves approximately 14,000 students each year and is ranked among the top 10 percent of colleges in the nation for students graduating with the least amount of debt.

Browse Related Stories

Stay in Touch

Follow ETSU on Social