Be on alert for traffic jams and long grocery lines. College students are coming back.

Don’t be surprised this week if you see bedraggled parents lugging boxes of extra-long twin-size bedsheets, fans and bean bag chairs.

They’re probably moving their kids into college dorms.

Students started moving in to some Triangle universities Wednesday, and thousands more will arrive in the next couple of weeks.

Shaw University and St. Augustine’s in Raleigh and North Carolina Central University in Durham opened their doors Wednesday. Shaw and NCCU are seeing two of the largest classes of new students in their history.

Shaw broke a record with more than 700 new students, up by about 100 from last year (also a record-breaking year). Because of the number of students this year, the school expanded to three move-in days.

“The campus is alive with bright-eyed students ready to get started on a new academic year,” said Shaw interim president Paulette Dillard. “This is their home away from home and we are going to provide them with a quality education, we’re going to ensure their safety and we’re going to send them back to you better than they came.”

More than 1,300 freshmen are joining the NCCU class of 2021, with another roughly 400 transfer and second-degree students registering for fall classes in the 2017-18 academic year, according to the university. That’s a nearly 6 percent increase from last year.

“North Carolina Central University is poised to open the 2017-2018 academic year with a talented class of more than 1,700 new first-time freshmen and transfer students, making it one of the largest incoming classes of scholars in the history of our institution,” said NCCU chancellor Johnson O. Akinleye. “As we continue to enhance our course offerings and deliver more innovative opportunities for positive growth both academically and socially, we are proud that more students are choosing NCCU.”

Diversity is increasing at NCCU, with a nearly 80 percent increase in the number of Hispanic students compared to last year.

The new NCCU freshman class has a 3.26 average GPA and 954 SAT score, up 10 percent from last year.

Most of the incoming students at NCCU have chosen to pursue degrees in the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences this year, with nursing, criminal justice and psychology listed as some of the top anticipated majors.

“This is always an exciting time for North Carolina Central University faculty, staff and alumni, as we prepare to welcome our new and returning students,” said Gary Brown, interim vice chancellor for student affairs. “We’ve prepared a dynamic lineup of events and activities to make this a memorable experience for our students.”

This story was originally published August 9, 2017 at 6:55 PM with the headline "Be on alert for traffic jams and long grocery lines. College students are coming back.."