Students will move in this weekend at Radford as the university enrolls the largest freshman class in its history.

University officials said they expect 2,050 new freshmen and 750 transfer students to begin classes on Monday (Aug. 29), with final figures to be tallied in coming weeks. In total, nearly 9,400 students are expected at the start of the 2011-12 academic year.

Radford saw a surge in enrollment at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, officials said. Recently added programs in nursing, physical therapy and occupational therapy have helped to bolster enrollment for master’s and doctoral degrees to more than 1,100 students. Of this fall’s incoming freshmen, about 94 percent are from Virginia. Among all undergraduates, 96 percent are from Virginia, with Maryland, New Jersey, North Carolina and Pennsylvania accounting for the highest numbers of out-of-state undergraduates.

“We are pleased with the continued growth we are experiencing and believe these increases are a clear indicator of the quality our faculty and the academic programs we offer,” President Penelope W. Kyle said.

This year’s undergraduate students are 57 percent female and 43 percent male. Top declared majors are interdisciplinary studies (teaching), 9 percent; and criminal justice, 6 percent.

Radford’s enrollment growth positions the university to play a major role in Gov. Bob McDonnell’s "Top Jobs for the 21^st Century" legislation (TJ21). Seeking to educate an additional 1,400 in-state undergraduates over the next six years, Radford University expects to support the legislation’s goal of producing 100,000 more undergraduate degrees by 2025. Alumni records for the past five years indicate that more than 80 percent of the university’s graduating Virginia students and 20 percent of graduating out-of-state students remain in the commonwealth, making Radford a key contributor to Virginia’s economy.

“More and more students are choosing Radford University, and we are committed to providing them with an education that will be mutually beneficial to them and to the commonwealth,” President Kyle said.

To accommodate this year’s growth in enrollment, the university has leased four local apartment buildings and added classes that support the university’s core curriculum, said Sam Minner, provost and vice president for academic affairs. “It would be impossible not to experience some challenges with this sort of expansion in numbers,” Minner said, “but we are prepared to meet the needs of our students. We believe this is going to be great academic year.”