About 4,500 first-year students begin classes on the Storrs campus today, a record number for the University of Connecticut. The university’s regional campuses in Stamford, Hartford, Waterbury and Avery Point welcome an additional 2,000 students this week.
Along with continuing and transfer students, a total of about 24,900 students are expected to make up the undergraduate student body, with 19,800 on the Storrs campus. These totals are preliminary, and final numbers will be confirmed on the 10th day of classes.
The Class of 2028 is composed of talented young scholars chosen from a highly competitive applicant pool, according to University Spokesperson Stephanie Reitz.
Vice President for Student Life and Enrollment Nathan Fuerst noted the diverse skills and backgrounds of the student body, as well as a great sense of Husky pride.
“Our new and returning students throughout UConn come from all backgrounds and have an incredible range of skills and ambitions, but they have at least one thing in common: They all bring us immense pride as Huskies,” Fuerst said.
UConn received nearly 58,000 applications this cycle, another record for the university. Thousands of applications came in even after the February deadline for Storrs, Reitz said.
One reason for the record-breaking UConn Class of 2028 is that a record number of accepted students chose to enroll in the university, “reflecting [UConn’s] national reputation for providing strong academics at a good value,” according to Reitz.
Additionally, 600 highly accomplished and talented first-year students have been offered a spot in UConn’s highly competitive Honors Program.
Close to 27% of first-year Storrs students come from races or ethnicities that are traditionally underrepresented in higher education, which includes Hispanic/Latino, Black, Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native students. More than 46% of the incoming class are students of color.
A slight increase since last year, 35% of the incoming class are the first generation in their families to attend college. 148 students graduated from their high schools as valedictorians or salutatorians.
The in-state first-year students represent 157 of the 169 Connecticut towns and cities, making up 70% of the student body. Out-of-state students come from 37 states and 77 countries.
The first-year undergraduate students are joined by thousands of new students enrolled in the schools of law, medicine and dental medicine at UConn, as well as in graduate, postgraduate and professional programs.