Final summer enrollment figures show Columbus State University’s summer 2017’s enrollment was 3,728, an increase of 4.2 percent over summer 2016. Preliminary figures for the fall 2017 semester, which started two weeks ago, indicate another increase could be in store when official enrollment figures are filed in October.

As of last week, 8,568 students were enrolled for classes at CSU this semester. That number will fluctuate over the coming months as students enroll for second-term courses, and make other schedule adjustments. Officials are hopeful that when final enrollment figures are submitted in October, the official fall enrollment will be higher than CSU’s previous record high enrollment of 8,440 students in fall 2015. The fall 2016 enrollment was 8,407.

“Our enrollment should be growing,” said CSU President Chris Markwood. “Columbus State University is an exciting place to be right now. More and more students are discovering that we are indeed their first choice. I think they are taking notice of caliber of our faculty and facilities, and of the national recognitions we are receiving for our combination of academic excellence and value.”

Some important measures are contributing to CSU’s enrollment. Enrollment is CSU’s graduate programs continues to rise, as does the university’s retention rates for first-time, full-time students. Those rates have risen from 65.6 percent in 2011-2012 to 73.3 percent in 2015-2016. When figures are computed in October for 2016-2017, officials expect that number to rise again.