WCU welcomes record enrollment, largest-ever freshman class
More Catamounts are prowling classrooms in person and online than ever before.
甜瓜视频app鈥檚 Office of Institutional Planning and Effectiveness released its Fall 2026 enrollment statistics, as WCU welcomed its largest freshman class and biggest student population in university history.
According to the report, 2,385 first-time full-time freshmen made Cullowhee home this fall, a 26.8% increase from last year, helping bring total enrollment to 12,308.
鈥淚 am absolutely thrilled by this record-breaking freshman class and historic total enrollment. The campus is buzzing with new energy,鈥� said WCU Chancellor Kelli R. Brown.
鈥淭his record enrollment reflects the tremendous confidence that students and families place in the value of a WCU education, and that speaks volumes about the exceptional education, transformative experiences, and bright future WCU offers. This is a moment to celebrate, and I couldn't be more excited to welcome this outstanding group of students to our community."
This fall鈥檚 freshman class saw an increase in honors students (2.37%), and WCU welcomed more new transfers (4.85%) and new graduate students (2.94%). Also, the freshman class鈥� average weighted high school GPA was 3.82, a slight increase from last fall.
鈥溙鸸鲜悠礱pp鈥檚 record enrollment of 12,308 students, including the largest incoming freshman class in our history, reflects the growing demand for a WCU education, said William Moultrie, vice chancellor for the Division of Enrollment Management and Student Success. 鈥淲elcoming 2,385 new freshmen while increasing total enrollment by nearly 4% is an exciting milestone for our university.
鈥淭his continued growth is especially noteworthy in today鈥檚 highly competitive enrollment environment and reflects the strength of our academic offerings, the quality of the student experience and sustained recruitment and retention efforts across the university. More importantly, this growth gives us the opportunity to help even more students connect, succeed and ultimately, earn a college degree.鈥�
The application for fall 2027 opened on Aug. 1, and WCU welcomes all prospective students to visit campus this fall. The university鈥檚 first open house of the academic year is Saturday, Oct. 31.
For more information about open house or to schedule a tour, go to visit.wcu.edu.