Photo: Credit UWI FIC
The University of the West Indies Five Islands Campus has welcomed its largest-ever intake of new students, with 587 students joining the institution for the 2026 academic year.
Registrar Dr. Camille Samuel announced the record figure during the campus’ matriculation ceremony, describing it as the highest intake since the Five Islands Campus was established.
“We have hit the highest intake ever at 587 new students,” Samuel told the gathering as she welcomed the incoming class.
The new students include both those entering university for the first time and others returning to education.
Samuel told the incoming class that matriculation represents their formal entry into the university community but stressed that simply enrolling at UWI does not automatically mean students have fully become part of campus life.
She encouraged them to participate actively in the Five Islands community and make full use of their university experience rather than focusing solely on completing their degrees.
“Enrolment is not belonging. You have to do a little bit more than just turn up,” Samuel said.
She urged students to embrace the journey, warning that university life would include challenges, moments of uncertainty and occasions when students might question themselves.
Samuel assured them that support would be available through the campus community, including its student support and retention services and academic leadership.
She described Five Islands as a close-knit campus where administrators and students maintain relatively direct relationships.
Samuel said the university wants students to emerge not only with academic qualifications but prepared to contribute positively to Antigua and Barbuda and the wider Caribbean.
She encouraged students to attend classes, remain engaged with university communications and consider the characteristics expected of an ideal UWI graduate.
The record intake comes as the Five Islands Campus continues to grow its place within the wider University of the West Indies system.
Campus Principal Professor C. Justin Robinson reminded the new students that although they were studying at a campus in Antigua and Barbuda, they were joining a regional university community comprising about 50,000 students across the Caribbean.
“You don’t only join a campus in Antigua. You join the University of the West Indies,” Robinson said.
He described UWI as one of the Caribbean’s most enduring regional institutions and told students they were entering Five Islands at a significant period in the development of education in Antigua and Barbuda.
The ceremony formally admitted the new students into the university community, with the incoming class participating in the traditional academic vow.
Vice-Chancellor Professor Sir Hilary Beckles formally recognised students admitted to Five Islands Campus to pursue undergraduate degrees as duly matriculated, along with students admitted to undergraduate diploma and certificate programmes who had satisfied the relevant requirements.
The ceremony also recognised Errolyn Tong as the top matriculant for the 2026 incoming class.
Tong, who was born and raised in St. Paul, Antigua, was selected to sign the matriculation register on behalf of the new cohort, symbolising the students’ formal entry into the university.
She is pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Management in the School of Business and Management.
At the close of the ceremony, Samuel again highlighted the size of the incoming class, thanking all 587 students for choosing Five Islands Campus.
“This is just the beginning,” she told them, adding that they were now members of the university community for life.
This article was originally published by Antigua News Room. Read the original article here: UWI Five Islands Records Highest-Ever Intake With 587 New Students.