FIU enrollment approaches 50,000 as fall semester nears

Written by Genevieve Bowen on August 18, 2026

As Florida International University prepares to welcome students back for the fall semester, its overall enrollment is holding largely steady, while incoming first-time and graduate classes are edging higher.

The preliminary figures put FIU’s overall degree-seeking enrollment on par with last fall as students return to the university’s campuses next week, with the fall semester beginning Aug. 24. The latest data show nearly 50,000 students currently enrolled across degree levels, though final fall enrollment numbers won’t be available until later in the semester.

Classrooms, laboratories and other facilities across FIU’s campuses will fill next Monday again as the university begins the 2026-27 academic year. While enrollment can shift after classes begin as students add or drop courses and complete registration, the early figures provide a look at the university’s incoming class and overall student population.

As of Aug. 18, FIU’s enrollment dashboard showed 49,840 students enrolled across undergraduate, graduate and non-degree levels. The university’s Office of Analysis & Information Management, known as AIM, maintains the dashboard and publishes university data on enrollment, graduation and retention, degrees awarded, student demographics and other areas.

FIU said its overall degree-seeking enrollment is currently tracking to be on par with fall 2025. The first-time-in-college class entering this fall is expected to be slightly larger than last year, while new graduate enrollment is also slightly ahead of fall 2025, according to the university’s media relations office.

The current student headcount includes 11,975 lower-level undergraduate students and 28,188 upper-level undergraduate students, according to the dashboard. Graduate enrollment includes 5,600 students in the first graduate level and 2,794 in the second, while 1,283 students are classified as non-degree.

Among bachelor’s degree students, the College of Arts, Sciences & Education accounts for the largest share of enrollment at 30.19%, or 15,045 students. The College of Business follows with 15.51%, or 7,731 students, while the College of Engineering & Computing accounts for 15.48%, or 7,717 students. Those three colleges have remained the university’s largest areas for bachelor’s enrollment since at least fall 2021, according to the dashboard.

The figures are part of a broader upward trend in FIU’s total enrollment in recent years. The university’s final fall 2025 enrollment was 55,673 students, including 35,340 full-time and 20,333 part-time students, according to the AIM dashboard. The final count for fall 2026 will be determined after the semester gets underway.