In the midst of a global pandemic officials at Florida A&M University believed that enrollments would decrease by 10 percent or more this fall. Some expected enrollments to drop by an even greater amount.
But Larry Robinson, president of Florida A&M University, reported that there are nearly 9,000 students enrolled this fall, a decrease of only 6.7 percent from a year ago. The drop is largely the result of a decrease in the number of first-year students on campus. This fall, 1,036 freshmen are enrolled, compared to 1,362 a year ago.
A survey conducted by the university shows that concerns over COVID-19 and the financial fallout from the disease were two of the biggest factors influencing students’ return. “There are millions of people whose jobs were impacted by the pandemic right, so there may have been a lot of parents who had plans for loved ones to join us but financially they haven’t been able to do it at this point,” President Robinson said.
The College of Engineering, which is operated jointly with nearby Florida State University, and the College of Agriculture and Food Sciences both saw an increase in enrollment.
