William Carey: Strong start to 2026-27 academic year

As the 2026-27 academic year begins, William Carey University has good news about enrollment.

We watched it happen in real time on CareyWOW move-in day as volunteers from the Hattiesburg Fire Department and local churches helped new freshmen carry “just the essentials” into the dorms. On that day, there was not a single vacancy in any of our residence halls.

While enrollment figures will not be finalized for several weeks, early indicators point to another strong year in a challenging higher education environment. Some of these challenges are new, like adjustments in federal student loan programs and visas for international students.

One of them has been looming since 2008, when the U.S. birth rate fell during a recession and never recovered. It has declined every year for almost 20 years – a long-term change in our national demographics. Children born at the start of the decline, in 2008, are 18 years old and entering college now – and their numbers will decrease every year.

National education leaders have been working on solutions to that problem for awhile.

So has William Carey University. Four years ago, Carey identified first-time freshman enrollment as an institutional priority. Since that time, the number of freshmen at William Carey more than doubled – and the number of students living on campus increased 55 percent.

But enrollment is not the whole story. We want to introduce more students and families to the distinctive education and Christian mission of William Carey University. The growth of our freshman classes is especially encouraging because it represents the future of the university.

Many WCU academic areas report strong enrollment:

• Winters School of Music has more than 300 music majors. More than 175 students perform with the Worship Choir and the Spirit of Carey marching band has 165 members.
• Cooper School of Missions and Ministry is growing as students prepare for Christian service in Mississippi and around the world in majors like Arabic, intercultural studies, cross-cultural business management and Christian ministries.
• The College of Education’s undergraduate teacher education enrollment is up 9 percent this fall, particularly welcome news as Mississippi schools face teacher shortages.
• Coming off a year that featured two top-five national rankings from U.S. News & World Report, the College of Osteopathic Medicine posted an enrollment record, including a first-year class of more than 200 medical students.
• WCU School of Pharmacy also achieved a record overall enrollment.
• The College of Health Sciences surpassed 1,200 students. This includes just under 1,000 nursing majors – the largest number of students ever admitted into WCU’s nursing program. The doctor of physical therapy, occupational therapy and health information management programs also posted record enrollments.
• Art, business, theatre/communication and criminal justice showed strong year-over-year enrollment growth.
• Finally, WCU is welcoming the inaugural cohort of students into its new Ph.D. in neurodiverse studies program, the first of its kind in the United States.

William Carey’s leadership is also monitoring recent changes to federal financial aid for non-medical graduate programs. They will affect graduate students not only at William Carey, but at universities across the country. We will look for ways to help students overcome barriers to complete their degrees.

Strong enrollment does not happen because of one department or one person. It is the result of people across this university working together and believing in our mission. I am grateful to the entire Carey family for the tremendous work they have done to recruit, welcome and serve our students.

I especially want to commend our recruiting and admissions teams. As a result of their hard work, William Carey received a record number of undergraduate applications.

Finally, we are deeply grateful to our extraordinary alumni family and the Baptist churches of Mississippi, who have supported this university for more than a century. Their prayers and commitment have helped us remain focused on providing an excellent education while preparing students to serve others.

Dr. Ben Burnett is president of William Carey University.