Despite the turbulent year, Georgia Southern students shattered enrollment records this fall as the student census revealed the largest freshman class to come through the university yet.

“These important measurements, and the growth in our freshman class is nothing short of remarkable,” said Georgia Southern President Kyle Marrero in a Wednesday press release.

The official fall enrollment for 2020 had a 3.45-percent increase, according to a press release. This increase can be attributed to the record-breaking 5,247 members of the freshmen class that entered the university this year.

“While the freshman class growth is noteworthy on its own, I am particularly pleased with how our numbers are trending across a variety of measures,” said Scot Lingrell, vice president of enrollment management, in the release. “Even in the face of a pandemic, Georgia Southern has shown it’s ready to serve a new generation of students.”

Online and dual enrollment programs rose 16.7-percent and 32.1-percent respectively since last year. This comes after a recent decline in undergraduate enrollment in 2019.

“This not only shows the result of the work we are doing to attract new students, but it also affirms the expanding reputation of the university, and the ability of our faculty and staff to prepare students for the next chapter in their lives,” said Marrero.