While enrollment numbers are not yet finalized, Ryan Padgett, associate provost for Strategic Enrollment Planning and Student Success, said that preliminary enrollment numbers are up compared to last year at NKU. 

“Not only is our overall enrollment going to be up, we’re up in our undergraduate, our graduate and our law,” said Padgett. 

At the College of Informatics Convocation on Aug. 15, the president said enrollment numbers were up over 400 but they were still calculating.

The assistant provost further explained how the university will be up in first-year student enrollments as well as transfer student enrollments. 

“The university made a significant investment in our Adult and Transfer Center,” Padgett explained. “By providing additional support in that [center], we were able to recruit additional transfer students, and we actually saw significant growth with our transfer students.”

With such an increase in heads on campus, major areas of campus life like housing, dining and parking are seeing changes. 

Sophomore Elijah Dean who has lived in Callahan Hall the past two years on campus says that residency there has gone up. According to a resident assistant at the dorm, about 360 residents were assigned to move in and about 300 currently live in the building now. 

“Pretty much the entire building is full,” Dean said.

Callahan Hall and Northern Terrace are located off of Martha Layne Collins Blvd. near Kroger. There is a parking lot directly outside of the buildings, as well as a lot further down a hill beside Callahan, often referred to as “the pit.” Because of the amount of students now living in these dorms, Dean said many are resorting to parking down the hill and walking back up. 

“If you were trying to find a parking spot pretty much any time after 4 p.m., you’re not finding a parking spot,” Dean explained. “They are all totally full so you have to park down in the pit.” 

Dean also said that dining on campus has been an issue for him this year. Callahan Hall used to have a small dining option called Callahan Bistro that closed in the spring of 2023. Students now must go to Norse Commons dining hall on campus for meals. 

“I only really go to Commons for dinner. [It] opens at 5 p.m. and by 5 p.m. there’s a line out of the door,” said Dean. “If you don’t get there right at five, or actually, even before five, you’re waiting in line for 10-15 minutes just to get in line for food.”

He said that the shorter hours are also an issue. 

“It’s 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. now on pretty much every day, which is, quite frankly, I think, ridiculous,” Dean said. 

He feels as though the hours at Commons do not accommodate students who take night classes and are living and eating on campus. 

Makayla Deaton, a senior and commuter student, said she’s struggled with parking on campus this year. 

“The second day of school, I got there at 10:20 a.m. I tried to look around for parking for 30 minutes,” Deaton said. “Every parking garage was full, every lot was full. I could not park anywhere.”

“The second time I went to the same class, I ended up parking at Truist Arena and walking the entire way across campus,” she explained. “But then I was late, so I felt like the first two days in my class were ruined for me and I wasn’t able to fully start or be on the same page as other students.”

According to Curtis Keller, director of Parking Services, there has not been an increase in parking pass sales since last year. There has also not been an increase in cost of parking passes since the 2023/2024 school year when it increased 10% from $261 to $283 for yearly passes. 

Keller also stated that there is a Parking and Traffic Advisory comment on the Parking Services website to assist students in finding additional parking. 

Direct Admit is a program that rolled out at NKU Aug. 1, 2024 that will allow students to apply to the university without a fee, essay or application if their high school GPA meets the requirements. 

NKU’s addition of Direct Admit has not affected enrollment this year, according to Padgett. Although the program has just rolled out, it will affect the incoming class for fall of 2025. 

“We are very, very excited because we have essentially streamlined and simplified the application process for students that have a high school GPA above a 2.75,” said Padgett. “So we believe that is going to have a significant impact in really showcasing to more students the amazing environment and amazing campus that we have here at NKU.”

According to Padgett, the closest public institution that offers a similar program is around 250 miles away from NKU. 

“We’re the only public institution in the state of Kentucky, and the only institution in the region, that is offering Direct Admit,” he said. 

While enrollment trends are going up, students are concerned that their issues will worsen. 

“I think we need an extra parking lot,” said Deaton. “The fact that people have to park on the grass or gravel across from Griffin because all of the parking garages are full is absolutely baffling to me.”