By BROOKE C. REICH
University Relations

MURFREESBORO – Breaking records is one thing, but maintaining a sustainable growth while others struggle is something else entirely.

The unprecedented growth of Chowan University has made headlines for over a decade, and the numbers continue to hold steady. Enrollment for the 2017 fall semester exceeds 1,500 students for the third consecutive year. Never before has Chowan University been able to sustain enrollment of 1,500 plus students for more than one year.

New student enrollment topped 610 for the fourth consecutive year. Yet perhaps the biggest shift in recent years is an increase in retention. The number of returning students increased for the 13th consecutive time this year, making this returning class the largest in the institution’s history.

The fall 2017 enrollment at Chowan University tells the tale of an institution that continues to prosper, while many peer institutions struggle with numbers moving in the opposite direction.

Chowan University President M. Christopher White says does not come down to one single, simple explanation.

“Yet, I suspect,” he says, “that it has something to do with our emphasis on Christian values.”

White also credits “great cloud of witnesses” who give to and pray for Chowan University, saying “Without that support, it would not be possible.”

Chowan University will celebrate 170 years of Faith in your Future in 2018. With steady enrollment and climbing retention Chowan remains committed to providing Christian higher education to students of promise for many more decades to come.

As one of the fastest growing universities in the United States for the past 10 years, Chowan University is a Christian liberal arts university founded in 1848.

Accredited with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Chowan offers over 75 undergraduate academic programs among The School of Arts and Sciences, The School of Education, The School of Fine & Applied Arts and The School of Business, and offers Masters Degrees through the School of Graduate Studies. Several departments are also individually accredited, such as Teacher Education Program’s accreditation by NCDPI and NCATE, as well as the Music program’s institutional accreditation by NASM.

An NCAA Division II member institution, Chowan offers 18 varsity sports, as well as co-ed cheerleading, with 11 programs in the CIAA, five in Conference Carolinas, and one in the Bluegrass Mountain Conference.

For more information about Chowan University, visit www.chowan.edu or call 1-888-4-CHOWAN.