Online registration is currently open for the upcoming fall term of William Carey University’s Hattiesburg, Biloxi and Baton Rouge, Louisiana campuses - with walk-in, open registration scheduled for August 19.
The new term begins on August 23; late registration will be held from August 23-27.
“Obviously at the higher-education level, it’s huge for us to know if classes are going to (happen) or not, because if we can’t offer a class (because of lack of registered students), then some students will be behind in their degree program,” said Ben Burnett, executive vice president of the university. “So we want to get everybody in as quickly as we possibly can, to make sure we know who we have and to make sure we can take care of them when classes start on August 23rd.
“We’re open for business; our campus is open, our dorms are open for the fall term, and so we’re looking forward to seeing everybody face to face."
New fall students can start the registration process at any time by applying online at www.wmcarey.edu/admissions.
During the walk-in registration on August 19, new students will have the opportunity to meet with faculty advisors, register for fall classes and tour the campus. Admissions staff will be available from 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. on that day.
“We’d certainly rather them not wait until the 19th, but if they need that face-to-face interaction - and some people still like to do that - we’ll be happy to do that on the 19th,” Burnett said.
Last year, William Carey University boasted a record enrollment of 5,200 at the three campuses, including online students.
“We were thankful, and quite honestly a little amazed, that in the midst of a (COVID-19) pandemic, we were able to break a record,” Burnett said. “The two departments specifically that contributed the most to that were the School of Nursing and the School of Education, because the pandemic kind of triggered people into going back into both of those areas, and it boosted our enrollment.
“But also our medical school is adding students every year; slowly we’re going from 100 in each class to 200 in each class. We had 50 more in last year’s class; this year we’ll have 75 more in the freshman class in the med school. We’re very grateful to our students, and very thankful, to be able to climb in enrollment when most places had the opposite impact during the pandemic.”
To ensure safety on campuses during the pandemic, university officials will continue to implement many of the same procedures that were used last year. That includes a mobile app in which students, faculty and staff can report on a daily basis any exposure to the virus, along with symptoms or possible positive cases.
“We also last year opened the (Student Health Clinic) in conjunction with Hattiesburg Clinic, and we made the decision to keep that open for this year,” Burnett said. "So we’re able to aid our students - not just with COVID testing and vaccinations, which we can do both in our clinic - but we can address any health concerns that our students have at the Hattiesburg campus.
“Hattiesburg Clinic was a huge partner and a huge help to us last year in the management of the pandemic response, especially with our athletic teams. Our athletic teams were under such stringent guidelines with periodic testing of all of our players, and with any players we had to quarantine, Hattiesburg Clinic was just a great resource to us. And they will be again this year."
The Hattiesburg campus of William Carey University is located at 710 William Carey Parkway, and can be reached via phone at (601) 318-6103. The Biloxi campus - which is formally known as the William Carey University Tradition Campus - is located at 19640 Mississippi 67 and can be reached at (228) 702-1815.
The Baton Rouge campus can be found at 3600 Florida Boulevard, Suite 1010, Entrance 2. That campus can be reached at (225) 953-7017.
For more information, undergraduate students are encouraged to email admissions@wmcarey.edu; graduate students can email graduateadmissions@wmcarey.edu.
“William Carey University is looking forward to welcoming to students to campus,” William Carey University president Tommy King said. “We are preparing now to offer in-person classes and activities, with some adjustments for larger gatherings.
“We are also monitoring updates from local, state and national health officials about the recent increase in people testing positive for COVID-19 and will revise our current policies if needed."
