A year after a record number of first-year and transfer students passed through the Gate, Wingate University continued its upward trajectory this academic year.

Total enrollment grew to 3,689 in the fall of 2018, up 2 percent from fall 2017, when the University recorded a record 13.4 percent year-on-year growth. That surge made Wingate the fastest-growing independent college or university in North Carolina.

The growth is fueled by the rapid expansion in the number of undergraduate students. Between 2013 and 2016, Wingate brought in an average of 702.5 new undergrads each year. In 2017, the University had 1,148 new students, followed by 1,007 this past fall.

To accommodate all those new Bulldogs, in the past year the University has added two new residence halls (with another one under construction) and 42 faculty members. Oh, and there are 500 new parking spaces on campus.

Several factors have played a part in the expansion, including the popularity of Wingate’s programs of study, the University’s proximity to one of the fastest-growing cities in the United States, and the beautiful campus.

But don’t fear that the close-knit, friendly campus you remember is disappearing. Although the University is surrounded by space in which to grow, there is a limit to how much it will grow.

Because of economies of scale, having a total enrollment of around 5,000 enables Wingate to provide more for students than would be possible in the 1,500- to 3,500-student range – without losing the personal touch that has been a hallmark of a Wingate education for decades.