Herff College of Engineering sees six percent enrollment increase in Fall 2026
September 29, 2026
While many colleges and institutes across the country face the enrollment cliff, Herff College of Engineering enrolled 6% more first-time, full-time (FTFT) students in Fall 2026 than in the previous academic year: 361 students.
The Fall 2026 class represents a 72 percent increase from the college’s lowest enrollment since the pandemic, when 210 students enrolled in Fall 2022.
This class represents the first group of students born during and following the 2008 recession, a social and economic time period that saw fewer children born and fewer high school graduates. By comparison, the University of Memphis saw a one percent decline in enrollment for the Fall 2026 semester.
“There were fewer students graduating high school this last year than there were before, and that was tied to the 2008-2009 recession,” said Herff College of Engineering Assistant Dean of Engineering Student Services Dr. Isaiah Surbrook. “It was so bad that people just didn’t have kids, and so you saw that dip. So, we’re going to be at the bottom of this cliff. There are just fewer students, population-wise, and there’s more competition.”
Surbrook said the influx of FTFT students comes from a three-tier approach: scholarships, tours and customer service, and the launch of the Polytechnic@UofM, a semi-autonomous institute within the Herff College of Engineering which focuses on adult learners and emphasizes real-world skills that can help people advance in their careers.
“Now with the Polytechnic, we have a way to say, ‘Hey, come in. You can start anywhere in engineering; despite where your math is, you can work your way into whatever area you want to be in. If you want to be a mechanical engineer, you can still start in the world of applied science, get credit, and move towards that,” Surbrook said.
But math isn’t the only barrier Herff has helped students overcome. The Herff merit scholarship helped the 361 students represented in Herff’s Fall 2026 FTFT enrollment class ease the financial burden of college.
“This year, we ran out of money,” Surbrook said. “It’s the first time we’ve run out. So we've used it strategically to make school more affordable. Right now, if you are a Herff Meritt student and you’re a dean scholar and you’re a Tennessee student, your tuition is paid.”
Surbrook feels that by showcasing all the college has to offer, potential students' interest immediately skyrockets once they enter Herff’s hallways.
“I tell people all of the time, if I can get a student to visit, I don’t care where we are on their list,” Surbrook said. “If they have 20 schools they’re looking at, I guarantee you we leave in the top three. If we do everything we’re supposed to do during our tours, everyone walks away going, ‘Wow. I didn’t know the University of Memphis, and Herff in particular, had all of this to offer. I didn’t know you had these high-end labs. I didn’t know about the student services and support.’ You know, why do people go to Chick-fil-A? Because you know that the service is going to be great. So, we made sure that we are over-communicating with prospective students and following up with them on time.”
The University of Memphis aims to reach a successful outcome for every student, and Surbrook said that begins the moment a student reaches his desk.
“There’s nothing that drives me nuttier than when a student hits my desk and they’ve been bounced around 10 times,” Surbrook said. “With prospective students, helping them solve their problems is a big deal. Oh, you have a scholarship issue? No problem. Hold on one second. Let us call scholarships and see what’s going on. It’s about making sure that you can provide them with an answer or at least hand them off to someone who can help. All of those little things add up quickly.”