New Undergraduate Student Enrollment Up 15% at St. Ambrose University

Bucking a nationwide trend of declining enrollment, St. Ambrose University welcomed 943 new students in Fall 2023, with the number of new undergraduate students soaring 15% over Fall 2022 numbers. Additionally, first-year student retention hit a 10-year high at 83%.

St. Ambrose’s unprecedented growth follows a university-wide investment in strategic partnerships and a focus on new and innovative methods of learning and teaching. President Amy Novak, EdD, who joined St. Ambrose two years ago, explains:

“At St. Ambrose University, we embrace learners from all walks of life and offer a variety of pathways to higher education. This includes a commitment to expanding flexible, remote learning opportunities like our new degree offerings in the Nano Nagle Online School of Nursing at St. Ambrose University.”

Announced earlier this year, the Nano Nagle Online School of Nursing offers fully online, on-demand LPN-to-BSN and RN-to-BSN programs. The School’s creation is a direct response to the challenge of nation-wide healthcare staffing shortages on the heels of the COVID-19 pandemic, which also put a spotlight on the maldistribution of the rural healthcare workforce.

As the landscape of higher education evolves, St. Ambrose University remains committed to equipping the next generation of learners to act with courage and care in a changing world.