COLUMBUS, Ohio - Capital University is reporting its second consecutive year of overall enrollment growth, reflecting continued progress in enrollment, retention, and the student experience as the University advances its new strategic plan, Capital Rising: Thriving into Our Third Century.
Total enrollment reached 2,380 students in fall 2026, up 5.2% from two years ago. This fall, 873 new students joined Capital across undergraduate, graduate, Capital University Law School, and Trinity Lutheran Seminary programs - the most new students to enter the University since before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Taken together, these gains mark a sustained shift in Capital’s enrollment trajectory, with the University now recording two consecutive years of overall enrollment growth.
The undergraduate story reflects sustained growth rather than a one-year rebound. Capital has now welcomed approximately 585 new undergraduate students in each of the past two fall terms, sustaining new undergraduate enrollment at a level nearly 25% higher than Fall 2024. This includes stronger new transfer enrollment and growth in the Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree in 2026, while overall undergraduate enrollment grew for the second consecutive year.
Just as important, more students are continuing their Capital education. First-year retention rose to 77.0% for the fall 2025 entering cohort, up from 73.2% for the prior entering cohort, strengthening student progress toward graduation and providing an important foundation for continued enrollment growth.
“We are seeing the benefits of sustained work across the entire enrollment experience - from how students first encounter Capital to how they experience the University once they arrive,” said Stephanie Sanders, vice president for Strategic Enrollment Management and Marketing. “Students and families are responding to the combination Capital offers: the personal attention and community of our Bexley campus, extraordinary access to Columbus, strong academic programs, and an education that connects learning to a student’s future. Sustaining this level of new undergraduate enrollment for a second consecutive year tells us that message is resonating.”
Growth extends across the University. Capital University Law School welcomed more than 200 new students this fall, its largest entering class since 2011, bringing total Law School enrollment to 520 students, up 7.7% in one year. Graduate education continues to expand through programs including Capital’s redesigned MBA and the new Master of Social Work, while the University continues its historic commitment to theological education through Trinity Lutheran Seminary.
The enrollment momentum comes as Capital is receiving growing external recognition for the student experience. The University was named a 2026-2027 College of Distinction, with additional distinctions in Business, Education, Nursing, Career Development, and International Programs. Capital also earned its first inclusion in The Princeton Review’s “Best 392 Colleges”, placing it among approximately 14% of four-year colleges nationally selected for the 2027 guide. The Princeton Review highlighted Capital’s personal attention, experiential learning, supportive faculty, and location in Central Ohio.
“Something important is happening at Capital, and it is bigger than any single enrollment number,” said Capital University President Jared R. Tice, Ed.D. “Our story is becoming clearer, and students and families are responding to it. We are rooted in the close-knit community of Bexley, connected to the extraordinary opportunities of Columbus, and offering a signature learning experience where students are known, challenged, supported, and prepared for what comes next.”
Capital’s reach extends across Ohio and well beyond it. Students currently enrolled at the University come from 81 of Ohio’s 88 counties and 35 states and represent 51 countries. That breadth reflects Capital’s distinctive position - rooted in Bexley, connected to the opportunities of Columbus, and welcoming students from across Ohio, the nation, and the world.
Capital’s enrollment momentum is also expanding opportunity for students across Ohio. This fall, 544 Capital students are receiving the Ohio College Opportunity Grant, an increase of nearly 24% since 2023, and 72 students are receiving the Governor’s Merit Scholarship, with the number of new Governor’s Merit Scholars choosing Capital increasing with each entering class since the program began in 2024. At the same time, 56.6% of this fall’s entering first-time undergraduate students are Pell Grant recipients. Together, these students reflect the breadth of talent and potential Capital is welcoming from communities across Ohio and beyond and the University’s continued commitment to making a Capital education accessible to students from a wide range of economic backgrounds.
Capital’s enrollment gains are also strengthening the University’s operating trajectory and its capacity to support students and reinvest in their experience. Capital’s FY27 operating budget projects $63.7 million in operating revenue, compared with $57.3 million in actual operating revenue in FY24 - an increase of approximately 11%. That improving trajectory reflects, in significant part, more students choosing Capital, stronger student retention, and increased participation across the University’s academic and residential programs. The University is pairing that growth with disciplined financial stewardship, philanthropy, and long-term investment in the student experience.
Capital also enters this period with substantial long-term financial assets. The University’s endowment and invested funds have grown from approximately $147 million in 2022 to approximately $198 million today, reflecting philanthropy, investment performance, and an emphasis on long-term stewardship.
This progress is part of Capital Rising, the University’s new five-year strategic plan, which sets a path to enroll more than 3,000 students by 2030 while linking growth to stronger retention and student outcomes, academic excellence, signature experiences, philanthropy, and disciplined stewardship.
“Enrollment growth matters because of what it allows us to do for students,” Tice said. “A stronger University creates greater capacity to invest in scholarships and student support, our faculty and academic programs, facilities, and the experiences that prepare students for what comes next. As we approach our bicentennial in 2030, we are not simply trying to recover enrollment lost during a difficult period for higher education. We are building a student-ready, financially sustainable University that is deeply connected to our Mission and prepared to thrive into our third century.”