The 2026-2027 academic year kicks off with record enrollment, more graduate students, new faculty and an impressive lineup of Commencement speakers.
HPU Back to School 1
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HIGH POINT, N.C., Aug. 20, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — High Point University’s campus is buzzing with excitement after a record 6,561 students arrived for the new academic year.
HPU’s new total enrollment is the largest in its 102-year history and surpasses the previous school record of 6,550 students set a year ago. This year’s enrollment includes 1,760 new undergraduate and graduate students, including freshmen from 27 countries and 47 states, as well as the District of Columbia.
The university worked to manage the demand and size of the campus population for this academic year as graduate programs continue to mature, a planned School of Optometry is in development and 93% of undergraduate students are living on campus.
Bucking nationwide trends in higher education, HPU’s enrollment has increased every year since Dr. Nido Qubein was named president in 2005. He is North Carolina’s longest-serving active president and begins his 23rd academic year of leading his alma mater through its extraordinary transformation over the past two-plus decades.
“We know how blessed we are because the transformation of this university has been nothing short of a miracle,” Qubein said. “We have grown from a tiny school to the international institution that we are today with thousands of students in 14 academic schools. It’s absolutely thrilling to see that. We are preparing students for the world as it is going to be.”
As students walk across campus, they will see the progress that was made on the construction of the $100-million John and Lorraine Charman Library over the summer. Nestled in the heart of campus, the four-story, 150,000-square-foot library will serve as HPU’s flagship library when it opens next summer.
Students will also meet dozens of new faculty members who have been hired to accommodate the university’s growing enrollment and new academic programs this fall.
There is plenty that is new at HPU for the upcoming semester. Here is a glimpse:
Graduate Enrollment Growth
Enrollment in HPU’s graduate programs has grown by 23% since Fall 2023, adding nearly 250 new graduate students. The university now has 1,285 graduate students.
This fall, the Kenneth F. Kahn School of Law welcomed its largest class to date of 86 students from 16 states. The school now has all three cohorts filled, and its inaugural cohort will graduate in spring 2027.
The Workman School of Dental Medicine welcomed another full-capacity class at 60 students, for a total of 180 dental students. All four cohorts of dental students will be filled in Fall 2027.
The university has added 11 academic schools since 2005, bringing its total number of academic schools to 14.
HPU Grows Faculty to Accommodate New Programs
Thirty-eight new faculty members have started at HPU this fall, bringing the total number of full-time faculty on campus to 463. Increasing the number of professors teaching at HPU was needed as its graduate programs continue to grow.
One new program that HPU is offering this fall is a Master of Business Administration (MBA) with a concentration in finance.
Students who are enrolled as freshmen this fall are eligible to earn a tuition-free master’s degree from HPU, a savings of up to $80,000, after completing their undergraduate degree. The 11 master’s degree options that freshmen can go on to apply to with no charge for tuition include several MBAs, as well as master’s degrees in communication and business leadership, education, biomedical sciences and more.
Commencement Speakers Announced
HPU has more exciting news to share. Former NASA astronaut Eileen Collins, who was the first woman to pilot a space shuttle and the first woman to command a space mission, will deliver HPU’s Commencement address to undergraduate students on Saturday, May 1, 2027.
A former U.S. Air Force test pilot, Collins has solidified her place in history as a trailblazer. She has been inducted in the National Women’s Hall of Fame, the National Aviation Hall of Fame and the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame.
She published her memoir, “Through the Glass Ceiling to the Stars” in 2021. She is the subject of the 2024 documentary, “Spacewoman,” which chronicles her life, accomplishments and impact on the next generation of female space explorers.
“At High Point University, we challenge our students to be extraordinary and live a life of significance and purpose. Eileen Collins has done just that while breaking down barriers and writing her name in the history books,” Qubein said. “We are excited for our graduates and their families to learn from her inspirational story.”
Qubein announced that Brian Lamb, head of specialized industries for commercial banking at J.P. Morgan, will serve as the Commencement speaker for graduate students on Thursday, April 29, 2027. Lamb joined J.P. Morgan in 2020 and was instrumental in propelling the banking giant’s $30 billion commitment to employee equity.
In addition, Don Hutson, CEO of U.S. Learning and the co-author of the New York Times and Wall Street Journal #1 bestseller “The One Minute Entrepreneur,” will deliver an inspirational message at HPU’s Fall Commencement on Friday, Dec. 11. A global expert in sales and negotiations, he has published 16 books, including the bestseller “The One Minute Negotiator.”
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CONTACT: Alex Abrams High Point University 3369517926 [email protected]
