![Students walking on campus](https://www.wright.edu/sites/www.wright.edu/files/styles/main_content_full_width/public/uploads/2021/Jun/article/StudentsOnCampus.png?itok=eYswzo-a)
Excerpt from the Dayton Daily News
Wright State University saw an increase in total student population for the first time in eight years.
The total student population for the Fall Semester of 2023 is 11,036, a 2.2% increase from last year. This is the first time since the fall of 2015 that the total number of students has increased, according to a release.
First-time student numbers have also increased with 1,713 new students this semester. First-time students are considered those who have not attended a college before. This is an 11.2% increase from Fall 2022, and the highest number of first-time students since 2018.
This is the second year in a row that first-time student numbers increased by more than 10%.
“This is a great sign not just for Wright State but also for the economic development of the region, with 92% of the first-time cohort represented from the state of Ohio and, most importantly, the Dayton region,” said Wright State President Sue Edwards, Ph.D.
Wright State has created various initiatives to promote academic achievement, including the Take Flight Program for first-year students, and the new Presidential and Deans Scholars program for high-achieving students.