This fall's student body at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln is the largest in the history of the university.
UNL announced Sept. 8 that fall 2015 enrollment is 25,260 students, surpassing the previous high enrollment of 25,075 in 1982. It is the third straight year of enrollment growth for the university.
"It is gratifying to achieve this historic figure, and to continue to see an increasing number of students take advantage of everything UNL has to offer," Chancellor Harvey Perlman said. "This is the result of an ongoing effort across our campus to increase enrollment, and this momentum is driven by the clear upward trajectory of our university."
A large freshman class powered this year's growth. There are 4,628 first-time students on campus this fall, which ranks as the third-largest freshman class in UNL history.
Colleges leading in the enrollment growth included the College of Business Administration, the Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts, the College of Journalism and Mass Communications and the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources.
In the past decade, the university's overall enrollment has grown by 14.3 percent.
"Our enrollment progress is a clear sign that UNL is invested in the success of every Nebraskan and is also welcoming to non-resident and international students," said Amber Williams, UNL's director of admissions. "Our successful recruiting and retention efforts are supported by the strength of our academic programs, which we are able to offer at an exceptional value."
Other highlights from the official 2015 UNL census, which was reported today to the University of Nebraska Board of Regents:
UNL's new freshman class maintains a strong academic profile. It includes seven perfect scorers of either the ACT or SAT, 46 National Merit Scholars and nine National Hispanic Merit Scholars. The average ACT score was 25.2, down just slightly from last year's all-time high of 25.4. "The high quality of our academic programs is attracting increasingly high-achieving students," said Amy Goodburn, interim dean of enrollment management. "Our faculty provide numerous opportunities within and outside the classroom to support their success."
UNL's enrollment of 2,736 minority undergraduate students – 13.6 percent of the undergraduate total – makes this fall's undergraduate student body the most diverse in the university's history.
The high level of interest in UNL from in-state students continues. This fall, there were 3,478 first-time resident freshmen.
The university welcomed 2,524 international students – an increase of 39 students (1.5 percent) from last year.
Overall, nonresident enrollments increased by 5.2 percent, including 5.2 percent at the undergraduate level. Nonresident students now account for 30 percent of all students at UNL.
In addition to traditionally strong out-of-state markets in South Dakota and western Iowa, the university saw increases in students from Wisconsin (26.5 percent), California (16.9 percent) and Texas (15.6 percent).
Graduate enrollment climbed 1.3 percent, from 4,517 in 2014 to 4,576 in 2015, with the College of Education and Human Sciences, the College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources having the largest graduate enrollments.
The fall semester registrations are reported annually to the provost of the NU system, based on six-day census figures from each of the four NU campuses' Institutional Research and Planning offices. For more details, please visit http://www.nebraska.edu/.
— Steve Smith, University Communications