STATESBORO — Georgia Southern University’s fall 2012 enrollment has set a new record, totaling 20,574 students. 

The enrollment numbers were released in the University System of Georgia’s “Fall 2012 Semester Enrollment Report,” which breaks down enrollment by institution, class (freshman, sophomore, etc.), race and ethnicity, in-state, out of state and foreign students, as well as gender and age.

According to the report, fewer students are attending college within the USG this fall.  However, enrollment at Georgia Southern is up 1.8 percent, or 362 students, marking the sixth consecutive year that GSU’s enrollment has increased.  Georgia Southern not only maintained its enrollment, but grew despite a record graduating class this past year. 

“Many in the state, including many of our own alumni, remember when Georgia Southern had 10,000 students — that was in the late 1980s,” said Wendell Tompkins, GSU’s director of alumni relations and annual giving.  “Today, Georgia Southern is one of Georgia’s premier universities and a lot of alumni, not to mention parents of prospective students who never attended, are surprised to see the incredible growth when they visit campus.  Georgia Southern is one of Georgia’s great success stories. It’s definitely something that our alumni can take pride in.”

Georgia Southern’s student body now includes students from 49 states and 93 countries.

Georgia Southern’s increase in enrollment is not just an increase in size, but also in economic impact. 

“Georgia Southern is an economic engine,” Georgia Southern President Dr. Brooks Keel said.  “This past year, the university’s estimated economic impact totaled a record $846 million. That’s good news for Statesboro, Savannah, our region and the state of Georgia as a whole.”

In addition, this year’s freshman class had a university-record average SAT score of 1115, making it the highest-qualified freshman class in the institution’s history.