By Rut Labrada, Arts & Entertainment Editor

VSU is seeing an increase in the number of students choosing to enroll at the school this fall semester. 

In an email earlier this semester, Vice President of Enrollment and Student Affairs Vincent Miller wrote that preliminary numbers showed a total increase of 7.8%. 

“VSU begins this semester with 11,254 students, an increase of 819 students compared with the fall 2025 census,” wrote Miller. 

The school has also welcomed 1,609 new freshman and 1,081 new graduate students. 

This is likely a result of an enrollment-focused campaign led by former President William Crowe, who spent his semester as interim president reaching out to local schools and increasing marketing efforts to bring in new students. 

VSU’s current President, Donald Green, expressed interest in continuing these efforts. 

“With marketing, we’re going to expand our social media, and with admissions, we’re going to be visiting our K-12s across the 41-county area,” said Dr. Green. “We’re going to be seeking transfer students at our state colleges and our technical colleges.” 

Dr. Green has also expressed that he would like to focus on improving retention and graduation rates within the school. 

“One of the first things we’re doing around retention is the graduation message, trying to get it into the students that they need to graduate,” he said. “We want to push harder on student attendance and make sure that they’re in class. How do you pass classes if you’re not there, right?” 

VSU currently has over 90 degree programs, and the school is planning on adding more, as well as increasing VSU’s AI facilities and capabilities, as Dr. Green believes these to be high-demand career paths that students will be interested in pursuing. 

The increase in enrollment has led to a notable increase in student presence and engagement on campus, particularly during student-focused events. 

“I think the crowdedness is good,” said Talissa Dean, freshman Criminal Justice major. “I like how interactive everybody can be. If it was less crowded, I think it would be boring.” 

Despite efforts to manage the situation, the increase in enrollment has sparked some concern among students, who state that they’ve experienced difficulties with parking and full housing in the dorms. 

“I know the increase, especially when it comes to parking, has left us really overcrowded without much accommodation,” said junior Political Science and Economics major Katelyn Shipley. “It’s not necessarily an issue on North campus, but on main campus, it’s harder just scheduling around that.” 

Students have also stated that they have experienced long lines at dining spots on campus, such as Palms and restaurants in the student union. 

“I do feel like some areas get a little bit crowded,” said freshman Health Sciences major Jasmine Coleman. “Chick-Fil-A, I think is the most crowded of them all.”