A Bright New Year Begins at Huntingdon

Photo Caption: Huntingdon’s freshman/transfer incoming class in Fall 2023 is one of the largest since the 1950s.

Montgomery, Ala.—The Huntingdon College campus has settled into its second month of classes for fall 2023, with great momentum for both enthusiasm and growth evident on campus.

Overall headcount enrollment rose from 817 in fall 2022 to 869 in fall 2023, a six percent increase, with full-time headcount enrollment growing from 797 in fall 2022 to 852 in fall 2023, a seven percent increase.

“It’s a great time to be a Hawk,” said Huntingdon President J. Cameron West, reflecting on the growth. “We had indications back in December that this could be a record year for new student enrollment, and it has, indeed, been such a year. Our new first-year and transfer student population grew from 297 last year to 346 this year—nearly a 17 percent increase and one of the largest incoming classes since the 1950s.”

“Our athletic rosters are full, our residence halls are at capacity, Campus Ministries reports burgeoning numbers at their weekly events, participation in men’s Greek life doubled this fall and women’s Greek life had healthy gains, and sixty students are involved in our Freshman Leadership Initiative this year,” said senior vice president for student and institutional development and dean of students Dr. Anthony Leigh. “It has been a joy to see how the upperclassmen have welcomed our new Hawks, and how quickly the new Hawks have made their presence and enthusiasm and leadership qualities known. We have such a special spirit of family and camaraderie in our student body, and our newest students have made themselves at home and part of the family right away.”

There are 29 states represented in the 2023 enrollment, rising from 25 in 2022. The largest gains among academic programs occurred in the pre-health areas, with newer majors such as Cell Biology/Pre-Health jumping 75 percent; Biochemistry/Pre-Health growing 20 percent; Exercise Science/Pre-Athletic Training/Pre-Occupational Therapy leaping from 20 majors to 58, a nearly 200 percent gain; and Exercise Science/Pre-Physical Therapy doubling the number of majors from 26 to 51. Moderate gains were also experienced in Music and Music Education, rising 24 percent; Biology and Biology with Secondary Collaborative Education, gaining 14 percent; and Physical Education growing by 21 percent. The perennial powerhouse Business Administration and Accounting majors also rose by approximately 11 percent. Now in its fifth year as a major, Criminal Justice grew by 19 percent.

New to Huntingdon this year is the Esports program, a coed varsity sport for which demand has been so great that the initial roster expectations filled and the sport is developing club teams so that students involved in other sports or activities may still participate in specific games. The College unveiled a state-of-the-art Esports Arena last fall, which is now fully in use.

Huntingdon has added significant living choices for students in the past years, with the College acquiring a number of apartments and houses in the Old Cloverdale neighborhood surrounding the campus. The purchases have made it possible for the residential population to grow from 645 to 742 residents, fall-to-fall. Fully 87 percent of Huntingdon full-time undergraduates live in the tight-knit residential community students refer to as the Huntingdon Village.

As is the Huntingdon tradition of small classes and great personal attention for students, the Huntingdon student-to-faculty ratio remains at 14:1.

Applications are being accepted for spring 2024 and fall 2024 undergraduate enrollment, as well as for the 2024 Master of Athletic Training cohort, which will enroll in summer 2024.

Huntingdon College is a coeducational residential liberal arts college of the United Methodist Church offering more than thirty undergraduate programs of study, 21 NCAA-Division III athletic teams, five bands, choir, cheer, dance, coed Esports, and more than 50 clubs and organizations. New for fall 2024, Huntingdon will introduce women’s flag football. Generous scholarships are offered through many participatory programs and for academic achievement, the Presidential Scholars program, and the Kingswood Initiative, among other programs. The College also offers the Master of Athletic Training.

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Huntingdon College, in accordance with Title IX and Section 106.8 of the 2020 Final Rule under Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, other applicable federal and state law, and stated College policy, prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex.  Similarly, it prohibits discrimination on the basis of actual or perceived race, color, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, religion, age and/or national origin in its education program