The University of Connecticut is expected to welcome 4,200 first-year students to the Storrs campus, and about 1,600 to its regional campuses at Avery Point, Hartford, Stamford and Waterbury starting Thursday, Aug. 24.
While enrollment figures are preliminary, as of now these first-year students will bring UConn’s total student population up to 24,000, including 19,000 located just on the Storrs campus.
These 5,800 incoming first-year students have a track record of accomplishments, myriad of aspirations for their college careers and diverse backgrounds that will enrich the university as a whole according to UConn Spokesperson Stephanie Reitz.
“About 30% of students are the first generation in their families to attend college, and 144 led their high school graduating classes as valedictorians or salutatorians. A record number of about 30% also come from backgrounds that are historically underrepresented in higher education,” Reitz said.
These historically underrepresented students in higher education, which include almost 30% of the incoming first-year students attending the Storrs campus, includes Black, Hispanic/Latino, Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska native students.
Overall, a record high 47.5% of the Class of 2027 are students of color, which includes underrepresented students along with Asian populations.
The Class of 2027 will include 618 first-year students who have been admitted to UConn’s highly competitive Honors Program, up from 555 first-year students last year.
Nearly 32% of first year students also qualified for federal Pell Grant aid, up from 22% in 2010.
55% of the Class of 2027 located on the Storrs campus are Connecticut residents and first-year students across all campuses come from 156 out of 169 Connecticut towns and cities.
The entire UConn undergraduate population will continue to be comprised of 75% of students from Connecticut, the same as in recent years and expected to continue in the future.
The new first-year class also comes from 43 states and 92 countries. UConn has continued to see a rebound in interest among out-of-state residents and international students in wake of the easing of travel restrictions in wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Reitz.
UConn’s Director of Undergraduate Admissions Vern Granger says that as UConn continues to see record interest, the university is excited to welcome another diverse class of students.
“Interest in UConn is at an all-time high, as we continue to see increases in applications from CT residents and students from throughout the country and world. We are excited to welcome another diverse class of students and our expectation is from them to make significant contributions to the UConn community,” Granger said.
With UConn’s new holistic review process, about 68% of the Class of 2027 opted not to submit standardized test scores as part of their applications, up from 65% from the Class of 2026.
Starting in Spring of 2020, the Class of 2027 is the third cohort accepted under this test-optional application process. This new holistic review process is expected to continue until at least 2026.
With classes set to begin Monday, Aug. 28, the Storrs campus will also be welcoming 668 transfer students from other colleges and universities, while regional campuses will be welcoming 230 transfer students from other colleges and universities.
All final enrollment numbers are determined on the 10th day of the semester.
