Written by: Hayden Kobza
Feb. 3, 2025, Ken Shaw, Southern Adventist University president, held a meeting with administration to discuss enrollment numbers at the university. Jason Merryman, vice president for enrollment management, gave the Accent insight into what the numbers mean.
According to Merryman, there has been an increase in the number of students who have been registered to attend the university, a shift that has been on the rise in recent memory.
“Currently, there are over 2700+ undergraduate students enrolled this current semester (Winter 2025),” Merryman stated in an email. “This is an increase of over 130+ students compared to last winter (2024) semester. This continues an enrollment growth trend that we have been experiencing since 2021.”
The total number of undergraduate students has exceeded the projections that Southern made in 2024, according to Merryman.
“We have noticed an increase in the number of freshmen (first time in any college) choosing to enroll in the winter semester compared to historical trends (historically, fewer freshmen enroll at this time of year),” Merryman stated. “This is the second year where we have seen an increase in freshman enrollment for the second semester. Conversely, fewer transfer students enrolled this semester, which has also been a recent trend we have seen.”
According to Merryman, reports have shown an increase in the K-12 grades and church memberships in the Southern Union. Based on these reports, Merryman believes that Southern will grow continually for the foreseeable future.
“Due to the trends mentioned earlier, our admissions team is forming partnerships with various entities to recruit mission fit students from Adventist academies, Home schools, SDA churches, and public schools,” Merryman stated.
