New Incoming Students Bolster Enrollment Growth

Bolstered by one of the largest incoming classes of first-year students in its history, enrollment at University of the Ozarks has increased for the second consecutive year.

A total of 796 students were enrolled at Ozarks for the 2025 Fall Semester as of the end of business on Wednesday, Sept. 10, the official day of record for the semester. It marks a 1.8 percent increase over the 2024 Fall Semester enrollment of 782.

The incoming class of first-year students, which includes first-time freshmen and transfer students, is 285-tied for the third-largest in University history and a 10 percent increase over 2024 first-year-student numbers of 259.

In addition, the number of first-time freshmen grew from 208 to 228, a 9.6 percent jump.

The number of students from Arkansas also increased more than 10 percent from a year ago, from 315 to 348.

Amy Zamaripas, vice president for marketing and enrollment said, "We are thrilled to welcome our largest incoming class in several years and see a continued growth in our overall student body this fall.

"This growth is a testament to our commitment to providing a high-quality and affordable education. The increase in both first-time freshmen and new students from Arkansas demonstrates that our efforts to reach prospective students and families are resonating, and that more students than ever are choosing Ozarks as the place to begin their academic and personal journey."

This year's student body includes 438 females (55 percent) and 358 males. A total of 103 students are from Johnson County.

Twenty-four states other than Arkansas are represented in the student body, with Texas (124), Oklahoma (42), Louisiana (10), Florida (6) and Tennessee (6) leading the way.

This year's student body is also one of the most geographically diverse in the University's history with 205 international students from 28 countries outside the United States, including The Bahamas, Australia, France, Belize, Israel, Honduras, Botswania, Serbia, Panama, Japan, United Kingdom and Zimbabwe.

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