Arkansas State University welcomes its biggest freshman class, brings up the student body record to around 19,000.

The fall 2026 school year welcomed a record high number of freshmen to Arkansas State University: 2,247 students. New students are coming in waves and there’s a good chance that the fall of 2027 class will surpass this freshman class. This is wonderful; more people, whether it be close to home or from the other side of the world, will get to experience new opportunities, new viewpoints, and be exposed to more of the world. 

However, welcoming more students raises a question that desperately needs to be addressed: what about the students already here? Surely A-State has measures to maintain the wellbeing of all students if they are welcoming in a plethora more, right?

In February 2026, A-State issued housing selection forms for returning students. As a first-year student a semester ahead, I thought I was ahead of the curve!

As I opened the housing application, I discovered that I was going to be roped in with the sophomore class and because of my credit hours, I was going to have to select housing in the second group. I thought nothing of this; a minor inconvenience at worst, right? When I opened the application and it was my turn to select, all available housing was taken. Upon further digging, I opened an email from A-State saying that housing was being reworked and incoming freshmen and first semester sophomores were being prioritized. Going forward the university will be shifting their housing to be exclusively for freshmen and sophomores. 

When colleges enact this type of change, however, they usually give a 1-2 year window of notice, not 4 months. I was, for lack of better words, homeless for my next semester. Had I not chosen to get credit hours in high school, I would have been able to secure on-campus housing. A-State was punishing me for working ahead in high school. I joined the waitlist, but to no avail; I knew I wasn’t getting housing. As a countermeasure, I immediately put in an application for Stadium View Apartments, where I currently reside. This caused me extra unnecessary stress and longer work hours to pay my bills and rent. 

I am one of many students dealing with the consequences of the increasing number of incoming freshmen. In terms of housing, A-State completely dropped the ball and neglected the thousands of students already living on campus. And as if to spit in the faces of the students, just days ago, the school announced housing plans that hinted at the demolition of the Village. So instead of adding more housing to accommodate for the growing numbers, we’re tearing down the housing we do have? What sense does that make? Parking is another major issue increasing enrollment has caused. Because of additional students and physical campus changes, such as the new Vet School replacing a major parking lot, proper parking is almost non-existent. 

A parking pass for one student is $100 nowadays, and according to an anonymous student from the mid 2010s, this price has doubled from its previous price of $50. Students who purchase such an expensive pass should not have to worry about finding a place to park, yet I am forced to park at First National Bank Arena and walk more than a mile to class in 97-102 degree temperatures daily. No matter how early I get to campus, there are no parking spaces available. More students have been welcomed, but more parking has not.

Overall, it really is sad that I, along with my peers, have been forgotten by the college we pay so much to attend. It seems as the years go on, I’m paying more and getting less. Sure they might have great enrollment rates but if they continue to treat their upperclassmen the way they do, a majority of those freshmen will end up transferring at some point in their collegiate journey. I honestly believe that A-State is treating freshmen better because they are paying more money than the already attending students. 

We are seen as a transaction, not as people. So A-State, enjoy your freshmen while you still have them. 

Categories: Opinion