The University of North Texas at Dallas defied downward national enrollment trends caused by the COVID-19 crisis by growing 3% to enroll a record-breaking 4,171 students for Fall 2020.

The growth is due to a 4% increase in undergraduate students, and a 3% enrollment increase at the UNT Dallas College of Law in downtown Dallas. Recognized as the fastest-growing public university in Texas, UNT Dallas’ fall enrollment increase followed record-breaking summer enrollment.

UNT Dallas also celebrated its climb in three categories in the U.S. News & World Report 2021 Best Colleges Rankings released on Monday. UNT Dallas is classified in the Best Regional Universities West Rankings, which includes schools in 15 states stretching from Texas and Oklahoma to the West Coast, plus Alaska and Hawaii. UNT Dallas’ rankings include: No. 60 Overall (up from No. 77); No. 28 Top Public Schools (up from No. 37); and No. 71 Top Performers on Social Mobility (up from No. 91). UNT Dallas ranks No. 3 for Least Debt, which is determined by debt load of 2018 graduates.

“It’s heartening to see UNT Dallas continue to climb in the U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges rankings, and especially at this challenging time,” UNT Dallas President Bob Mong said. “UNT Dallas stands resolute in our mission to close the educational equity gap for students in urban Dallas and create pathways to socioeconomic mobility. Another record enrollment this fall shows that our students and their parents recognize our deep commitment to our students’ academic, personal and professional success.”

Also buoying UNT Dallas’ enrollment growth is a 4% increase in freshman students over last year and an 11% increase in undergraduates who are continuing their studies. The UNT Dallas School of Business hit an enrollment milestone by cracking 1,000 students for the first time with 1,023 students, a 6% increase from last year.

“Each department across the university has worked so hard to connect with one another remotely and support our new and continuing students as they transition to fall,” said Stephanie Holley, the UNT Dallas Vice President for Student Access and Success. “I am especially grateful to the Division of Student Access and Success for their long hours and diligent work that culminated in this success for UNT Dallas.”

Because of the ongoing pandemic, UNT Dallas, an emerging urban university boasting a student body that is 85% minority and 70% first-generation college students, is conducting the Fall 2020 semester almost entirely via virtual learning formats. Only a limited number of classes are meeting in-person. In May, the California-based organization Educate to Career placed UNT Dallas in Tier 1 of its College Planning Autumn 2020 rankings of universities best equipped to deliver full curriculum online and in-classroom. Among four-year, public universities in the North Texas region, UNT Dallas is among just three institutions to qualify in Tier 1.

“UNT Dallas is committed to providing our students with the highest quality education, whether it is delivering curriculum in-classroom or virtually,” UNT Dallas Provost Betty Stewart said. “As the Educate to Career rankings show, our administration, faculty, Office of Distance Learning and Instructional Technology, Office of Information Technology, and many others, have worked tirelessly to ensure that our students are equipped to successfully advance their academic pursuits at UNT Dallas.”