Enrollment and Tuition

Enrollment and Tuition
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1880s

1889 72 students enrolled for first year of classes

Of the 72 students that enrolled, 19 graduated in 1893. Tuition was $20 a year and free to those living within Wake County.

First freshman class at North Carolina College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts, 1889First freshman class at North Carolina College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts, 1889

1890s

1891 Enrollment surpassed 100

110 students enrolled for the 1891 school year.

1893 Six "post-graduate" students enrolled

1900s

1900 Enrollment reached 300

Enrollment reached 300 students. Tuition remained $20 but in-county students no longer receive free tuition.

Textile SocietyTextile Society
1901 First woman enrolled in course

Margaret Burke became the first woman to take a course at A&M College. She enrolled in a physics course.

1909 Enrollment was over 500

Enrollment was over 500 students, and tuition increased to $45.

North Carolina College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts freshman class posing with agricultural machinery, 1909North Carolina College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts freshman class posing with agricultural machinery, 1909

1910s

1917 Enrollment declined

Enrollment declined by about 200 students due to enlistment in World War I.

NC State ROTC military unitNC State ROTC military unit
1918 Enrollment increased post-war

After World War I, enrollment increased to over 1,000 students. Nearly 600 of those students came to NC State through the Student Army Training Corps (SATC) program.

Second Battalion of North Carolina State College ROTC bayonet drill at Riddick Stadium.Second Battalion of North Carolina State College ROTC bayonet drill at Riddick Stadium.

1920s

1921 First woman enrolled as full-time student

Lucille Thomson of Wilmington, NC, became the first woman to fully enroll at NC State University. She studied electrical engineering from 1921 to 1923.

Lucille ThomsonLucille Thomson
1921 Enrollment increased to 1,000 students

After a slight decline since 1918, enrollment at State College increased to 1,000 students.

6/5/1925 Tuition increased

Tuition increased to $60 for in-state students and $80 for out-of-state students.

6/7/1927 First degrees conferred to women

The first degrees were conferred to women at NC State. The recipients were Jane McKimmon, BS in business administration; Charlotte Nelson, BS in education; and Mary Elizabeth Yarbrough, MS in chemistry. Yarbrough was the first woman to graduate who completed all coursework while at NC State, and she was the first woman to earn a master's degree at NC State.

Mary Yarborough portrait photo, 1953Mary Yarborough portrait photo, 1953
9/29/1928 Women's enrollment increased

Twenty-one woman enrolled at State College for the 1928-29 academic year, which was twice as many as the previous year.

1930s

1931 Enrollment began three year decline

Enrollment dropped due to the onset of the Great Depression. Tuition climbed to $80 for in-state residents and $100 for out-of-state students.

1935 Women's enrollment dropped

Women were prohibited from entering freshmen and sophomore classes to boost enrollment at the Women's College in Greensboro. The restriction lasted until 1940.

1940s

4/24/1942 Higher women enrollment sought

Urgent appeals were made to increase women enrollment numbers in engineering courses as male students left to fight in World War II.

Women in defense training studying engineering drawingWomen in defense training studying engineering drawing
1944 Enrollment declined during World War II

Enrollment declined to 800 students after peaking at around 2,500 in 1940. Much of campus became committed to training war personnel.

Cadets in the classroomCadets in the classroom
1945 Women's enrollment increased

Fifty-eight women were enrolled at NC State, many taking advantage of special scholarships to provide engineering training to women so they could work in industry during World War II.

1946 Enrollment increased post-war

Veterans on the G.I. Bill caused a spike in enrollment with 5,000 students enrolled. New facilities were needed to accommodate the influx of students. Tuition was $90 for in-state residents and $288 for out- of state.

Student registrationStudent registration
1948 Tuition rose to $150

Tuition rose to $150 for in-state residents and $360 for out-of-state students. Enrollment passed 5,000 students.

Winter view of quonset huts used for temporary classrooms after World War IIWinter view of quonset huts used for temporary classrooms after World War II

1950s

1953 First African American graduate students admitted

State College admitted two African American graduate students into the School of Engineering: Robert Clemons and Hardy Liston. Clemons became the college's first black graduate. Liston withdrew and didn't complete his degree.

1955 Tuition rose to $283

Tuition rose to $633 for out-of-state students.

University Enrollment FiguresUniversity Enrollment Figures
09/1956 First African American undergraduates enrolled

The first four African American undergraduates enrolled at North Carolina State College: Ed Carson (electrical engineering), Manuel Crockett (electrical engineering), Irwin Holmes (electrical engineering), and Walter Holmes (mechanical engineering, aerospace option).

Irwin Holmes on tennis courtIrwin Holmes on tennis court
1957 First African American student graduated

Robert Clemons received a professional degree in electrical engineering (PREE) and became the first African American to graduate from NC State.

1960s

1962 Women's enrollment increased

Women's enrollment passed 200 out of over 7,000 students enrolled, which was an increase of about 20%.

Technician, Vol. 47 No. 49 [Vol. 43 No. 48], February 20, 1963Technician, Vol. 47 No. 49 [Vol. 43 No. 48], February 20, 1963
1966 Enrollment passed 10,000

10,203 students entered NC State in the fall of 1966. Tuition was $357 for in-state and $782 for out-of-state students. There were over 1,000 women enrolled.

Technician, Vol. 71 No. 3 [Vol. 47 No. 2], September 16, 1966Technician, Vol. 71 No. 3 [Vol. 47 No. 2], September 16, 1966
1968 Women's enrollment continued to increase

Women's enrollment reached almost 1,700 students.

Technician, Vol. 46 No. 51 [Vol. 48 No. 55], March 17, 1968Technician, Vol. 46 No. 51 [Vol. 48 No. 55], March 17, 1968
1969 African American student enrollment reached 200
NC State University, Electrical Engineering ResearchNC State University, Electrical Engineering Research

1970s

1971 African American student enrollment declined

African American student enrollment dropped below 200 since 1969. The drop led the university to increase recruitment efforts for African American students.

Ted Bush, Karen Wilkerson, Cynthia Hinnaut, Mike HunterTed Bush, Karen Wilkerson, Cynthia Hinnaut, Mike Hunter
2/24/1971 Enrollment cap considered

Consolidated University of North Carolina President William C. Friday announced that NC State may need to put a cap on enrollment unless more funding could be appropriated.

William C. FridayWilliam C. Friday
9/16/1972 Record enrollment reached

Enrollment for the fall term hit a new record of 13,800.

1974 Enrollment passed 15,000
Student registration at Reynolds ColiseumStudent registration at Reynolds Coliseum
1975 In-state tuition dropped to $330

Tuition dropped from $357 to $330 for in-state students but increased to $1,876 for out-of state-students.

Metcalf Hall residents study in their roomMetcalf Hall residents study in their room
1976 Asian student enrollment increased

According to data from the Office of Institutional Research and Planning, NC State had 54 enrolled students who identified as Asian out of a student body of 16,903. The data did not distinguish U.S. nationals or international students within the Asian enrollment data.

1978 Diversity in enrollment increased

African American student enrollment passed 1,000, women's enrollment passed 6,000, and 84 Latinx students were enrolled.

Students studying togetherStudents studying together

1980s

1980 Enrollment passed 20,000

Despite new caps to stay within budget, enrollment continued to climb steadily.

Technician, Vol. 61 No. 14, September 24, 1980Technician, Vol. 61 No. 14, September 24, 1980
1980 Enrollment climbed above 20,000
Fall 1983 Low Latinx enrollment recorded

Enrollment was 22,632 students in the fall of 1983, and 148 students (0.7%) identified as Hispanic.

1987 Tuition increased for in-state students

After rising to $480 in 1983, tuition increased to $852. UNC System President C. D. Spangler supported students protesting the increase.

Technician, Vol. 68 No. 41 [45], January 12, 1987Technician, Vol. 68 No. 41 [45], January 12, 1987
1989 Women's enrollment passed 10,000

Enrollment of women passed 10,000, and tuition for in-state students increased again to $922.

Students in Alexander hallStudents in Alexander hall
1989 Diversity in student population increased

Enrollment of African American students passed 2,000, Latinx students passed 200, and international students passed 1,000.

1990s

1990-1999 Enrollment remained steady through 1990s

Total student enrollment stayed in the 27,000 range throughout the 1990s.

Commencement, 1996Commencement, 1996
1991 Tuition increased

Tuition increased from $922 to $1044 for the start of the 1991 academic year.

Technician, Vol. 72 No. 108, June 12, 1991Technician, Vol. 72 No. 108, June 12, 1991
1996 Tuition decreased after series of hikes

Tuition dropped from $1,584 to $1,386 after increasing throughout the early 1990s.

Nubian Message, August 29, 1996Nubian Message, August 29, 1996
10/1998 African American student enrollment remained the same

A survey done by the Southern Education Foundation found that percentage enrollment of African American student remained the same for the past 20 years.

Nubian Message, October 1, 1998Nubian Message, October 1, 1998
1999 In-state tuition surpassed $1,500

Tuition continued to rise over the next 5 years.

Technician, November 1, 1999Technician, November 1, 1999
10/28/1999 NC State students supported UNC

NC State students supported UNC students facing a tuition hike. Student body President Raj Mirchandani urged State students to join in solidarity with UNC, fearing NC State would be next.

Technician, October 27, 1999Technician, October 27, 1999

2000s

2000 Women's enrollment passed 12,000
Handing out pink gear for the Hoops for Hope gameHanding out pink gear for the Hoops for Hope game
03/06/2002 Students protested tuition increases

In March of 2002, the Board of Governors passed an 8% raise in tuition. The tuition in fall of 2002 was $2,814 compared with $2,328 the previous year. Students protested the March 6th Board of Governors meeting.

Technician, March 7, 2002Technician, March 7, 2002
2003 African American student enrollment peaked at 2,900

While overall enrollment continued to grow, the number of non-white students enrolling began to decrease throughout the 2000s.

Technician, Freshman Orientation, July 2, 2003Technician, Freshman Orientation, July 2, 2003
3/7/2003 Latinx student population recorded

The Technician reported a total of 450 Latinx students enrolled at NC State as part of an editorial about diversity on campus.

2005 Enrollment exceeded 30,000

2010s

2011 Tuition over $5,000 for in-state students

Tuition for the 2011-2012 academic year was $5,153.

2015 International student enrollment passed 4,000
2015 Latinx student enrollment increased

The 2015 NC State Hispanic/Latino Fact Sheet reported an increased in Latinx student enrollment with 1123 undergraduates and 364 graduate students.

2018 Asian student enrollment increased

The Office of Institutional Research and Planning reported that NC State had 2,282 enrolled students who identified as Asian out of a student body of 35,479. The data did not distinguish U.S. nationals or international students within the Asian enrollment data.