KENNESAW, Ga. | Mar 9, 2023

As the historic season by the men’s basketball team shines a national spotlight on Kennesaw State, the 2022-23 ASUN champions are helping tell the story of a university that serves more than 43,000 students across a breadth of academic programs.

Here’s what you need to know about Kennesaw State University – everything from the name of our mascot to the demographics of our growing enrollment and history of athletics achievements.

Kennesaw State University

President: Kathy Schwaig
Mascot: Scrappy the Owl
Founded: 1963
Enrollment: 43,268

• Third-largest public university in the state
• Two campuses in metro Atlanta (Kennesaw and Marietta, Ga. – following consolidation with Southern Polytechnic State University in 2015)
• Fourth consecutive year of enrollment growth
• Located in Cobb County, Ga. along I-75
• 154 buildings and facilities situated on 543 acres
• Over 135,000 alumni
• $1.6 billion economic impact to state and region

Academics

• 11 academic colleges with programs in nursing, education, business, engineering, technology and the arts
• Accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges & Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC)
• Began offering bachelor’s degrees in 1978, master’s degrees in 1984 and doctoral degrees in 2006
• Bagwell College of Education produces the highest number of undergraduate education degrees in the state
• Michael J. Coles College of Business is the second-largest business school in Georgia
• Southern Polytechnic College of Engineering and Engineering Technology is the second-largest engineering college in Georgia
• Among the nation’s top 100 colleges and universities for conferring degrees to minority students
• Most popular degrees: nursing, psychology, computer science, biology, management
• Among the largest suburban research-focused universities in the country. Total faculty: 2,137

Students

• Students represent nearly every county in Georgia, all 50 states and 134 countries
• The diverse student body identifies as 46% minority
• Of the student population, women compose 50.8% while men compose 49.2%
• More than one-third of KSU undergraduate students are first-generation college students
• About half of KSU undergraduates receive Georgia’s Hope/Zell scholarship
• Over 300 student organizations, including 33 club sports
• 10 residence halls house nearly 6,000 students

Athletics

• Competes in 18 NCAA sports – 10 women’s programs, 8 men’s programs
• Transitioning to FBS level and will join Conference USA for all sports in 2024
• KSU Athletics elevated to NCAA Division I competition in 2005, in the ASUN Conference
• Intercollegiate athletics began at the institution in 1982, as an NAIA program
• KSU baseball won the university’s first national title, the NAIA championship in 1994
• KSU won five more national championships after transitioning to NCAA Division II: softball (1995, 1996), baseball (1996), women’s soccer (2003), and men’s basketball (2004)
• KSU football set the modern-era college football record for most wins by a start-up program in its first five years
• Track and field standout and KSU’s first NCAA (D1) national champion Daniel Haugh competed in the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo in the hammer throw
• Isaiah Rogers won the weight throw at the 2023 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships, becoming KSU's second national champion in the Division I era.
• Sarah Hendrick is KSU's first female athlete in the program's Division I history to have earned All-American honors five times in indoor and outdoor track and field. 
• Alumnus Larry Nelson won 10 PGA Tour events, including three majors

A leader in innovative teaching and learning, Kennesaw State University offers undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees to its more than 47,000 students. Kennesaw State is a member of the University System of Georgia with 11 academic colleges. The university’s vibrant campus culture, diverse population, strong global ties and entrepreneurial spirit draw students from throughout the country and the world. Kennesaw State is a Carnegie-designated doctoral research institution (R2), placing it among an elite group of only 7 percent of U.S. colleges and universities with an R1 or R2 status. For more information, visit kennesaw.edu.