BLACKSBURG, Va. (AP) - Virginia Tech enrolled more than 30,000 undergraduates this fall, three years ahead of a goal set by President Tim Sands, officials said.
A fall census taken Sept. 21 showed undergraduate enrollment increased 2.4% over last year from 29,300 to 30,016 students, The Roanoke Times reported.
Sands had set a target of enrolling 30,000 undergraduates by 2023 shortly after he became president in the summer of 2014. A university spokesman told the newspaper a statement from Sands about reaching the enrollment goal would have to wait because he is currently focused “on navigating the impact of the pandemic.”
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The university also said the COVID-19 pandemic took its greatest toll on enrollment from international students, with 201 enrolled for the incoming class, compared to a goal of 475 for this year.
While the coronavirus pandemic disrupted the college admissions process this spring, state data released this week showed overall enrollment didn’t take as big a hit as some analysts feared.
Enrollment across undergraduate, graduate and professional programs in Virginia fell 1.3% compared to the previous fall, according to estimates from the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia. Community colleges took the biggest hit, with enrollment down nearly 10%.
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