By: Madeleine Miyashiro, Nyah Jackson, and Sienna Escobar
Since the beginning of the school year, enrollment numbers at Southern Adventist
University have become a frequent topic of discussion on campus. Following a record-high total
enrollment last fall, new and returning students have noticed a considerably smaller freshman
class this year.
According to data from Southern’s Institutional Research and Planning Office (IRPO),
this year’s freshman class has 541 students, compared to 642 freshmen last year – a decrease of
101 students.
Tom Verrill, senior vice president of Financial Administration, compared the freshman
class size to recent years.
“[While] this is a smaller incoming class than the previous four years, this year’s
freshman class is consistent with the average prior to this time period,” Verrill stated in an
email. “It should be noted that the past three years include the two largest freshman classes
ever.”
Last year, Southern hit a record total enrollment of 3,343 students, according to data from
the IRPO. Although fewer freshmen enrolled this semester, Verrill stated that “overall
enrollment tends to fluctuate less year-to-year, because of the stabilizing effect of including
multiple years, and having fairly consistent retention and graduation rates.”
According to Ryan Harrell, Southern’s website and analytics manager, total enrollment
has not dipped drastically.
“While the numbers are down a bit from our peak in 2023, this is still the third-highest
year for total enrollment,” Harrell stated.
Including both undergraduate and graduate students, Southern’s total enrollment from
last fall to this fall changed from 3,343 to 3,215 students: a drop of 128 students. In 2024, total
enrollment reached 3,229, making the last three years the highest enrollment since Southern was
first founded as a university.
Impact on Students
Southern students on online discussion platforms, such as Fizz, have hypothesized that
lower enrollment contributed to decisions such as closing The Kayak and ending meal plans at
the Village Market.
Justin Moore, associate vice president for Business Operations and Risk
Management addressed the connection in an earlier Accent article. According to Moore, the meal
plan decisions were made before enrollment information for the new semester was available and
were made based on performance analytics from the last several years.
Verrill explained that lower enrollment has had an effect on the university’s overall
financial decisions.
“Clearly, a lower enrollment means less tuition dollars for the university,” Verrill
stated. “We have had to make some budget adjustments this year in response to the decrease in
enrollment, so we can maintain a positive budget and cash flow. To the degree possible, we have
attempted to minimize the impact these adjustments will have on the students’ experience at
Southern.”
According to Verrill, the university did not make any significant changes to financial aid
for students in light of the lower enrollment and potential budget changes.
“The goal each year is to offer institutional aid to help as many families as possible afford
an education at Southern, with the ultimate goal of helping students thrive in the current
workforce and for eternity,” Verrill stated.
With fewer students on campus, there could be possible benefits to the student body,
Verrill added.
“This could include more access to parking, smaller class sizes in some instances, shorter
lines at events and venues, greater likelihood of receiving certain scholarships, etc., as well as
more individualized attention in certain areas of the campus,” he stated.
Jason Merryman, vice president of Enrollment Management, explained some enrollment
shifts that the university has observed. The enrollment number at Southern seems to be linked to
an increase in students from homeschools and Adventist students from public schools. He also
explained that the nationwide gap between female and male students seeking higher education
impacts Southern, as reflected in the 54 (female) and 46 (male) ratio.
Charts and graphs compiled by the IRPO showed that Southern saw a small increase in
international students this year, from 110 to 114 students.
“International numbers for incoming new students dropped a bit initially in 2025, but as
students have figured out the new [federal] regulations, they have rebounded some, and our total
international enrollment is holding steady at historically high levels,” Harrell stated.
Regarding this year’s lower enrollment, Verrill cited several potential causes.
“One major factor is the size of the senior classes in Adventist academies,” Verrill stated.
“There are also less concrete factors, such as the individual preferences of students in any given
year. There are also many societal factors that could affect enrollment. These include the number
of college-age students in the general society from year to year (i.e., demographic shifts), the
national economy, international issues and challenges, national and global societal sentiment
regarding higher education, changes in government policy (such as new limits on student
borrowing) and labor market changes.”
Many students have suggested that the initiatives other Adventist universities are taking
to increase enrollment are contributing to Southern’s decline.
“Though we would like every student who is able to attend Southern, our primary desire
is that students attend an Adventist college,” Verrill stated. “We don’t view attendance at another
Adventist university as competition…We believe there are more than enough potential students
available for all our colleges and universities to thrive, and that the church is stronger when all
our institutions are strong.”
According to Chris Hansen, executive director of Institutional Research and Planning,
total enrollment numbers are also affected by the size of graduating classes the previous year.
After class sizes began to bounce back from the Covid-19 pandemic, larger groups of students
finish their degrees and leave campus each year, creating a drop in total enrollment for the next
year.
Freshman Perspectives
Students from this year’s freshman class shared how their class size has impacted their
experience, and why they chose to attend Southern over other universities.
Danika McCourt, a freshman history and music major, said she does not have to share her
bathroom with any suitemates because the room is empty across from her.
“It’s just me and my roommate, and we own the bathroom, so that’s kind of nice,”
McCourt said. “Our hallway is kind of empty.”
According to Isabella Randall, a freshman psychology major, her reason for choosing
Southern was family preference.
“My dad told me about Southern since I was a little girl [and] I was really interested in
it,” Randall said. “I didn’t really think of going to any other colleges, honestly.”
Ella Chun, a freshman accounting major, said she chose Southern because of the friends
she knew would attend.
“[A lot of] my friends are already coming here, because I came from an Adventist high
school,” Chun said.
Michaela Juneiu, a freshman history and international studies major, chose Southern
because of its campus.
“There’s a lot of trails and outdoor opportunities,” Juneiu said. “I also like the
community.”
Jackson Holland, a freshman construction management major, chose Southern because of
the location. For his graduating class at Forest Lake Academy in Florida, Southern was one of
the closest Adventist universities to attend. Holland said that of the over 100 students in his class,
about a third went to Southern.
“I think most of them just stayed local,” Holland said.
Looking Forward
Verrill shared several initiatives the school is taking to reach out to prospective students.
“The university has recently received access to contact information for families in the
Southern Union, which will allow us to more effectively reach out to families whose students do
not attend an Adventist academy,” Verrill stated. “We are also initiating a ‘recruit back’ strategy
for enrollment eligible students who have left Southern in recent years.”
According to Harrell, the university is also working to encourage more students to pursue
their masters’ degree at Southern.
“We have recently started a discount program for students moving from Southern’s
undergraduate programs into graduate degrees here at Southern, so we expect to see the graduate
number increase in the coming years,” Harrell stated.
For now, Merryman and other administrators said that they will not have concrete
answers on what affected this year’s enrollment until the end of the year.
Verrill expressed gratitude for the students who continue to fill Southern’s campus.
“We are very thankful for our freshman class this year, and all the students who are
attending Southern,” he stated. “The administrative team at Southern gives thanks to God daily
for the students that He has allowed to attend this year, and we pray the Lord blesses each
student in their studies and their walk with Him.”
