Austin Peay sets enrollment record for second straight year, welcomes largest freshman class in eight years
By: Brian Dunn September 9, 2026
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. — Austin Peay State University has set a new all-time enrollment record for the second consecutive year, with 11,338 students registered for Fall 2026. Last fall’s record was 11,161.
The growth is led by the university’s largest incoming freshman class since 2018, with 1,918 first-time students, and by the highest proportion of military-affiliated students in Austin Peay's history. Active-duty service members, veterans, and military family members represent 35% of the student body.
“Two years ago, national forecasts said college enrollment would start shrinking in
2025. Austin Peay has now set records in both of those years," APSU President Mike
Licari. "Students and families are looking at what we offer, the programs, the faculty,
the support, the price, and deciding this is where they want to be. Our job now is
to make sure every one of them finishes what they came here to start.”
Austin Peay has kept tuition and fees low, and more than 59% of its recent graduates
earned their degrees with no student loan debt.
The record comes as most U.S. institutions are contending with a shrinking pool of
high school graduates. Austin Peay’s freshman growth reflects expanded recruitment
across Middle Tennessee, a stronger conversion of admitted students, and growth in
dual-enrollment pipelines.
The university also draws on its home market: Clarksville is the fastest-growing and
demographically youngest community in Tennessee.
“A record freshman class in a year when the national pool of high school graduates is shrinking tells you something about how families in this region see Austin Peay,” said Amy Corlew, assistant provost for enrollment management. “They’re choosing a university that’s close to home, affordable, and serious about getting students to a degree.”
Austin Peay’s military-affiliated enrollment, long the largest of any public university
in Tennessee, is anchored by its campus at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, and by programs
built for military students and their families, including aviation science, accelerated
7.5-week terms, and online degree completion.
“We have the best support for military-affiliated students in the state, and I would
argue in the country, because of the leadership of our Military and Veterans Affairs
team,” Licari said.
That momentum has extended into classrooms across every discipline.
"The academic experience at Austin Peay has kept pace with our record growth," said
Dr. Mitchell Cordova, provost and vice president for academic affairs. "Our faculty
have built programs that answer real workforce needs — in healthcare, education, business
and the industries surrounding Fort Campbell — and they’ve done it without losing
the small-class attention that brings students here in the first place.”
The record year sets the stage for a milestone one. Austin Peay, founded in 1927,
will begin celebrating its centennial in January 2027 and will spend the coming academic
year developing a new strategic framework to guide its second century.
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