Published on September 11, 2025 at 10 a.m.  
Freshmen class poses 2025
Members of the Samford freshmen class join university president Beck A. Taylor on Sherman Circle..

HOMEWOOD, Alabama — Blending another record-breaking freshman class with extraordinary student retention success, Samford University opened the 2025 fall semester with its largest-ever enrollment of 6,324 students.

This sustains an impressive growth trajectory for Samford. Since 2009, enrollment has increased by nearly 36%.

“This latest milestone reflects Samford’s unwavering commitment to delivering academic excellence within a Christ-centered environment,” said Jason Black, the university’s vice president for enrollment management. “Distinguished by this impressive 17-year trend of enrollment growth, student demand continues climbing and Samford continues thriving.”

The university once again welcomed its largest freshman class with 1,156 first-year full-time students, up 6.3% from 2024’s previous record of 1,087. 

Students-ring-bell-during-freshn-walk-2025.jpg“Samford doubled its freshman enrollment goal for year-over-year growth while strengthening the academic profile of incoming students,” said President Beck A. Taylor. “It’s a powerful momentum that stretches beyond statistics. This is an ongoing story of Samford staying true to its faithful mission and prioritizing high-touch, relational education—a culture students are embracing."

Samford’s 4,370 undergraduate students also represent an all-time high.

The university’s 92.18% freshmen-to-sophomore retention rate dramatically surpasses the nationwide retention average of 68%, according to National Student Clearinghouse data.

A snapshot of Samford’s enrollment for 2025:

  • 44 states plus Puerto Rico are represented in the overall enrollment, along with 16 countries.
  • 60.7% of students come from outside Alabama (with the largest influx coming from Georgia, Tennessee and Texas).
  • 75.1% of first-year students come from outside Alabama.
  • Samford is welcoming 132 transfer students.

“This is an ongoing story of Samford staying true to its faithful mission and prioritizing high-touch, relational education."  — President Beck A. Taylor on Samford enrollment increasing by nearly 36% since 2009

Samford’s promising financial outlook and sustained enrollment growth recently fueled more than $300 million worth of infrastructure expansion—highlighted by four new residence halls that opened in August. These projects follow the 2024 unveiling of a 165,000-square-foot Campus Recreation, Wellness & Athletic Complex and 2023’s nationally acclaimed renovation of the University Center dining hall. A new 550-space parking deck on the north side of campus completed Phase 1 of the Samford Horizons strategic plan.

“We've just completed the largest set of construction projects this campus has seen since Howard College moved to Homewood in the late 1950s,” Taylor said. “These transformative investments elevate Samford’s status as a premier residential campus.”

President-Taylor-leads-Freshman-Walk-2025.jpg

Samford President Beck A. Taylor and his wife Julie lead the Freshman Walk in August 2025.

 
Located in the Homewood suburb of Birmingham, Alabama, Samford is a leading Christian university offering undergraduate programs grounded in the liberal arts with an array of nationally recognized graduate and professional schools. Founded in 1841, Samford is the 87th-oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. Samford enrolls 6,324 students from 44 states, Puerto Rico and 16 countries in its 10 academic schools: arts, arts and sciences, business, divinity, education, health professions, law, nursing, pharmacy and public health. Samford fields 17 athletic teams that compete in the tradition-rich Southern Conference and ranks with the second-highest score in the nation for its 98% Graduation Success Rate among all NCAA Division I schools.