By: Emma Manhire
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (UATV) — The University of Arkansas hit record breaking numbers this school year 2025-2026 for student enrollment.
Breakdown of STUDENT ENROLLMENT numbers
- 16,658 from the Natural State
- 6,977 second largest freshman class in history
- 3,185 Arkansans (degree-seeking freshman)
- Total of 34,175 students
- The undergraduate class (29,260) and graduate class (4,915) hitting a new record as well
STUDENT FRUSTRATION
As student enrollment increases each year, some upperclassmen students feel that this growth is a constant conversation amongst students.
Some students said the university’s rapid growth has created frustration on campus.
“It’s talked about all the time all over campus, how they just admit too many people,” said Dani Lee. “I think the university really needs to take a look at what they’re doing, as opposed to trying to fix it.”
In fact, Lee and her roommate received a written notification form explaining that the City of Fayetteville may be taking over their apartment complex to use it for more student housing. Lee along with other students and families, live in this complex. The city is giving people the chance to attend city hall meetings to voice their frustration or support for this plan.
On the other hand Chancellor Charles Robinson said this growth will keep the university’s development in the right direction.
“The growth is an indication that the University of Arkansas brand is moving in a positive direction. People don’t come to places they don’t think will add value to their lives. The students are spending their money to come to the university. They believe that the educational experience is worth the investment,” Robinson said.
CONSTRUCTION ON CAMPUS
During the last few years on campus, renovations have been on-going all over campus. Mullins Library, the HPER building and a new residence hall being a few of those main changes.
“I can tell you right now that we have a plan for two more housing units and beyond that we’ll see,” Robinson said.
The construction site on campus near Reid Hall is where one of the two future residence halls will be built. This particular residence hall will not be completed until fall of 2028. Combined, the two new residence halls will add a total of 1,400 beds for incoming freshman students to live on campus. Currently the campus only has 6,200 beds for the total freshman class of around 7,000.
As the university grows in numbers, so does the increase in construction and contracts with nearby apartment complexes to ensure all freshman and upperclassmen have a place to live.
The university is currently contracted with three apartment complexes nearby campus. These apartments help house freshman students. With a total of 6,200 beds on campus for freshman students and a class of around 7,200, some freshman have turned to those off-campus apartments.
Apartments OFF CAMPUS
- The Cardinal: 471
- The Locale: 321
- The Marshall: 47
- Total beds: 1,259
The university works closely with these nearby contracted apartment complexes to help create a dorm like environment so those freshman living off campus can have a similar experience to those on campus.
“We simulate as much as possible the setup. So there are RA’s [resident assistants] that live in these housing complexes,” Robinson said. “We try to create community in the housing complexes. So I’m not as worried about that, the data doesn’t seem that doesn’t seem to suggest a huge difference between living in a university owned versus a university leased.”
One freshman student living in the Marshall apartments off campus, spoke about how her and her roommates wanted to live in a dorm that provided individual rooms, such as the Harding Hall. When these dorm halls filled up almost immediately during the housing selection period, finding a nearby apartment was the next best thing.
“I really wanted my own room,” Sage Boister said. “The only hesitation we had was the distance from campus, but my roommates and I haven’t struggled with that too much. I either take the bus to class or walk home.”
Boister said that freshman living in the dorms may have had an advantage earlier in the year with making friends, but they have met several other people in their apartment complex the first month of school and try to create a dorm like experience at the Marshall apartment.