While classes don’t start until next week, the University of West Florida was buzzing with new and returning students moving into campus dorms Wednesday afternoon.
Support Local Stories. Donate Here.
For the second consecutive year, UWF housing is at full capacity with a waiting list. The majority of residential students are freshmen.
As of Aug. 13, UWF’s enrollment is 14,712 students.
Inside the President’s Hall, a Living Learning Community for STEM students, families were hauling bedding and furniture and getting rooms set up for the semester. UWF President Dr. Martha Saunders said she always looks forward to move-in day.
“You’re surrounded by hope and joy, and a little anxiety,” she said with a laugh after taking a group photo with students. “It’s all new students here. And it’s a big step. So, it’s a mix of emotions.”
This year, first-time college student enrollment is up 18% from last year. Applications for first-time college students closed in June — the earliest in the university’s history — after receiving around 10,500 applications.
College enrollment has increased nationwide this year, after years of decline during the pandemic. At UWF, that growth is in part due to the success of being more in demand not just in the region but across the state and beyond.
“We are becoming a first-choice university,” said Saunders. “We are moving as fast as we can to accommodate the demand. A lot of our students are from all over Florida … they’ve heard about us and they want to be here. That’s pretty cool.”
Charlie Pergola from Jacksonville is one of those students. He’s in the STEM Living Learning Community majoring in environmental science. He applied to a few universities closer to home but chose UWF for the academics and the location.
“I’m looking forward to exploring the campus, getting to know the area a little better, and going to the beach a lot,” he said.
Just one room over from Pergola, Johnny Dragonette was unpacking his Lego sets. The mechanical engineering freshman is from Santa Rosa Beach and is familiar with Pensacola. He chose UWF for its personal touch.
“(The campus) is big, but it’s a small student body, which is what I liked as opposed to other schools,” he said.
Dr. Greg Tomso, vice president of academic engagement and student affairs, said providing support to students in and out of the classroom is one way UWF stands out. When Tomso was a freshman in college, he remembers being handed a “giant paper printed book with hundreds and hundreds of onion skin pages and told to figure all of our courses out for ourselves.”
“We were left totally on our own,” he said. “The way college works now is completely different. We understand that to succeed, students need lots of different kinds of support and different students need different kinds of support. We’re much more nimble and able now to meet those needs. That’s why we see student retention here at UWF.”
All of those resources and more can be found on the New Argo website which helps students and parents get settled and make the most of the college experience.
Like Dr. Saunders, Tomso enjoys the energy around move-in day as it sets the mood for a new academic year.
“I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” he said. “The excitement is building and building and building, and now they're finally here, and it's just a wonderful feeling. Everyone's happy, everyone is enjoying the process, and they feel that they're connected to UWF. And I think that's what we're going for.”
