CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – For the second consecutive year, Austin Peay State University has set a new all-time enrollment record with 11,338 students registered for Fall 2026.
“The growth is led by the university’s largest incoming freshman class since 2018, with 1,918 first-time students, and by the highest proportion of military-affiliated students in Austin Peay’s history,” said APSU spokesperson Brian Dunn in a news release. “Active-duty service members, veterans, and military family members represent 35% of the student body.”
APSU President Mike Licari said that two years ago, national forecasts said college enrollment would start shrinking. “Austin Peay has now set records in both of those years,” Licari said. “Students and families are looking at what we offer, the programs, the faculty, the support, the price, and deciding this is where they want to be. Our job now is to make sure every one of them finishes what they came here to start.”
APSU enrollment over the years, centennial celebration coming up
APSU first hit five-figure enrollment in 2009, and this is their third consecutive year with over at least 10,000 students registered, according to data compiled by Clarksville Now.
“The record year sets the stage for a milestone one,” said the release. “Austin Peay, founded in 1927, will begin celebrating its centennial in January 2027 and will spend the coming academic year developing a new strategic framework to guide its second century. The university will also launch a $100 million fundraising campaign in April.”
- 2007: 9,094
- 2008: 9,401
- 2009: 10,188
- 2010: 10,723
- 2011: 10,873
- 2012: 10,597
- 2013: 10,399
- 2014: 10,111
- 2015: 10,099
- 2016: 10,344
- 2017: 10,463
- 2019: 11,048
- 2020: 10,272
- 2021: 9,609
- 2022: 9,326
- 2023: 9,945
- 2024: 10,439
- 2025: 11,185
- 2026: 11,338
‘Clarksville is the fastest growing and demographically youngest community in Tennessee’
The release highlighted Austin Peay keeping tuition and fees low, which included 59% of its recent graduates earning their degrees with no student debt.
“The record comes as most U.S. institutions are contending with a shrinking pool of high school graduates,” said the release. “Austin Peay’s freshman growth reflects expanded recruitment across Middle Tennessee, a stronger conversion of admitted students, and growth in dual-enrollment pipelines. The university also draws on its home market: Clarksville is the fastest growing and demographically youngest community in Tennessee.”
“A record freshman class in a year when the national pool of high school graduates is shrinking tells you something about how families in this region see Austin Peay,” said Amy Corlew, assistant provost for enrollment management. “They’re choosing a university that’s close to home, affordable, and serious about getting students to a degree.”
Military-affiliated enrollment anchored by Fort Campbell
Austin Peay’s military-affiliated enrollment, long the largest of any public university in Tennessee, is anchored by its campus at Fort Campbell, and by programs built for military students and their families, including aviation science, accelerated 7.5-week terms, and online degree completion.
“We have the best support for military-affiliated students in the state, and I would argue in the country, because of the leadership of our Military and Veterans Affairs team,” Licari said.
That momentum has extended into classrooms across every discipline, said the release.
“The academic experience at Austin Peay has kept pace with our record growth,” said Dr. Mitchell Cordova, provost and vice president for academic affairs. “Our faculty have built programs that answer real workforce needs — in healthcare, education, business and the industries surrounding Fort Campbell — and they’ve done it without losing the small-class attention that brings students here in the first place.”
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