Some students have thrived off of the remote learning environment, while others simply can’t stand it. When the pandemic hit, courses continued, but at a new demanding and challenging level that often required self-teaching at the same costly expense. 

This was clearly not for everyone, and who can really blame them? Spinnaker took a dive into UNF’s enrollment numbers to see how much the pandemic influenced the attendance and return of students. 

Photo by Chris Montogomery/Unsplash.

In the Fall of 2018, UNF’S total enrollment was 17,002, and in 2019 that number for Fall increased to 17,308. 

In the Fall of 2020, months into the COVID-19 pandemic, total enrollment dropped down to 17,043.

As of September 1, 2021, preliminary Fall 2021 enrollment decreased to 16,802. However, it is important to note that “preliminary” means that the Fall 2021 enrollment numbers are not concrete and are expected to change and be finalized in a few weeks. Spinnaker intends to look into that information. 

According to a statement by the university, 

“Once final Fall 2021 numbers are in, UNF expects:  

• The second largest freshman class in its history.
• Increased overall academic quality of the freshman class.
• Raised institutional diversity in all categories of unrepresented populations.
• Broadened out-of-state enrollment and increased presence of Georgia students in freshman class.  
• Increased international student enrollment in freshman class.”

The university also provided concrete numbers on students who did not continue enrollment after Spring 2020 when the pandemic hit. 

In Spring 2020, UNF had 16,148 students enrolled. Of those enrolled students, 1,075, which is 6.7 percent, have not enrolled since Spring 2020 and have not completed a degree or certificate.

The most recent pre-COVID comparison shows that in Spring 2018, out of the 15,438 students enrolled, 1,238, which is 8 percent of students, did not enroll again in Summer of 2018 to Fall of 2019 and did not complete a degree or certificate in that time frame.

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For more information or news tips, or if you see an error in this story or have any compliments or concerns, contact editor@unfspinnaker.com.