CAMPUS NEWS Rising Enrollment Demonstrates NGU’s Strength in Education and Mission


Student life in Tigerville reflects the enrollment growth trends, with more than 1,200 students taking advantage of campus housing. This number marks a three-year high at NGU.


Outside the Tigerville campus, fully online undergraduate programs experienced a 3.5 percent increase year-over-year, while graduate enrollment grew by 10 percent, underscoring NGU’s commitment to serving students at every stage of their educational journey.


NGU is continuing to see enrollment growth and national recognition for academic excellence, as the university welcomed its second-largest class in the last seven years.


With a total enrollment of more than 2,270 students, NGU reported an increase in new traditional undergraduate students for the second consecutive year, bringing in a class of 556 students. While 72 percent of new students are South Carolina residents, the 2025 class represents 20 states and 13 countries.


“We are delighted with this year’s freshman class, with their unique mixture of energy, intellect, and faith,” said NGU President Dr. Gene C. Fant, Jr. “We continue to see rising demand for North Greenville’s academic community, and we are grateful for the trust we enjoy from students and their families.”


“The momentum we are experiencing highlights the fact that students and families see the value of a Christ-centered education provided at NGU.” CHAD PETERS


Vice President for Enrollment and Marketing


“NGU’s non-traditional and graduate programs serve important segments of our region’s workforce and ministry needs,” President Fant said. “Our graduates are highly sought-after for their excellent preparation and disciplined work habits. We are particularly excited to note record enrollment in our high-demand graduate programs.” Chad Peters, NGU’s vice president for enrollment and marketing, said the figures represent collaborative work across the university and a unified mission. “These successful enrollment figures are a direct result of the diligent and collaborative work completed across campus by our incredible staff and faculty,” said Peters. “Students are drawn to NGU’s ongoing commitment to preparing graduates to be transformational leaders for church and society. The momentum we are experiencing highlights the fact that students and families see the value of a Christ-centered education provided at NGU.”


NGU’s momentum is reflected in recent national rankings. In U.S. News & World Report’s 2025 Best Colleges list, NGU is recognized as one of the Best Regional Universities in the South, ranking No. 42 overall. The university also earned recognition as a Best Value School (No. 36) and a Top Performer on Social Mobility (No. 33), highlighting its mission-driven commitment to accessibility and student success. The annual U.S. News & World Report rankings evaluate nearly 1,500 national colleges and universities on up to 17 measures of academic quality and place an emphasis on social mobility and outcomes for graduating college students.


“NGU is ‘mission-focused,’ which means that external markers and evaluations are not our primary focus, but we believe that as we refine and uplift our Christ-first mission, we will see recognitions for our excellence and vitality,” President Fant said. “We particularly rejoice in seeing the affirmation of our work with first-generation students who seek financial value in their educational experience.”


Pursuing A Mission That Matters


G “Our


mission has


always mattered because people matter. Investing in people matters.”


rowing up in the height of the “Space Race,” and more specifically the “race to the moon,” I was delighted to join with others in tracking the United States’ progress with our brave astronauts, bolstered by brilliant NASA engineers and scientists. My friends and I built our cardboard Lunar Landing Module models, given away by Gulf Oil. We had toy rockets and Major Matt Mason space stations. Since we lived in Orlando, my family could stand in our back yard to see the Saturn rockets’ flames as they propelled Apollo capsules out of Earth’s orbit. We stayed up to watch Neil Armstrong’s first step, near 11 p.m. on July 20, 1969, which felt like the deep dark of night to an eight-year-old. The country was on a mission, and that step was the culmination of a collective investment. It mattered to Americans, for an array of reasons. It felt like a common purpose was being realized.


Back on the planet, in the fall of 2025, NGU is pursuing a clear mission of providing distinctively Christ-centered higher education. Students are being equipped to serve as transformational leaders wherever they go. Mission success has consistently required a collective investment over the span of our institution’s existence. That success is not found in the dust of the moon, but in neighborhoods, businesses, churches, and any other place where living out biblical principles matters. That’s everywhere you can think of, and it does, truly, matter. Our mission has always mattered because people matter. Investing in people matters. Consider the people who have been instrumental in your life through their positive engagement. Relatives, teachers, friends, neighbors, bosses, and teammates may be on that list. Each of them demonstrated care and concern. Friends who always show up in times of crisis. Relatives who


will not miss a milestone event in your life. Classmates who take the time to recall how you encouraged them. In these and many other ways, we have the chance to show people that they are important.


In my role with NGU, I get to hear stories of lives changed through this university on a near-daily basis. So often, alumni returning to Tigerville will recall a professor who went above-and-beyond to make sure that alum, while a student, persisted in completing a class and earning a degree. North Greenville has been blessed beyond measure by faculty, staff, students, parents, and friends who put the lives of our students at the top of their priority lists. As we serve the One True God, to whom all of us matter, we reflect His character through our care. Indeed, like the super-power nations of the 1960s, Christ-followers are in a race. We are running to see lives transformed by the gospel, the Good News that people can find that transformation and purpose for living. This magazine is full of stories about transformational leadership. It matters. It is a mission worthy of our lives. It is a mission worthy of our time and our resources. I encourage you to join us in prayer, in encouragement, and in financially supporting our mission. The reward is not the completion of a nifty LLM model (which I wish I’d kept from all those years ago). Instead, it is seeing lives transformed, communities strengthened, businesses healed, and churches reflecting love and joy the world cannot take away. It is seeing how God transforms people.


Marty O’Gwynn


Vice President for Advancement and University Engagement


18 | NGU.EDU


NGU.EDU | 19


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15