UNL increases enrollment for first time since 2017, adds sy
LINCOLN — The University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s total student enrollment increased this fall for the first time in seven years, with total systemwide enrollment increasing 0.7% compared to fall 2023.
University of Nebraska President Jeffrey Gold announced Total Fall 2024 Enrollment The number of undergraduate and residential students across the state increased Monday, bringing the total to 49,749, the highest level so far in 2021. Growth for 24 consecutive days.
Enrollment at UNMC increased by 3.2% and UNL by 1.7%. By contrast, enrollment fell 0.3% at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, 2.3% at the University of Nebraska at Kearney, and Curtis’s smaller, rural-focused campus. Enrollment at the Nebraska Technical Agricultural College fell by 13.4%.
Enrollment numbers are based on the sixth day of classes.
“Growing the University of Nebraska means growing the state of Nebraska, which is good for our workforce, the strength of our communities and our future competitiveness,” Gold said in the statement. information.
UNL President Rodney Bennett attributed the increase in campus enrollment to faculty and staff’s efforts to retain and recruit new Huskers. This year’s enrollment surge also comes on the back of the largest class of resident students since 2017.
UNL’s 2017 enrollment growth marked its fifth consecutive year, followed by seven consecutive years of enrollment declines. Fall 2024 enrollment will reach 23,992 students. 26,079 people in 2017helped in part by the state’s large enrollment class.
“We can build on this foundation as we move toward a bright future at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln,” Bennett said in a statement.
UNL President Rodney Bennett. September 5, 2024.
Undergraduate enrollment in the UNL College of Engineering hit a record high of 3,722 students, an increase of 9.1%. The following colleges saw larger increases:
Business, up 2.3% to 3,825. Education and humanities, up 3.4% to 2,373. Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, up 2% to 2,156. News and mass communications, up 6.9% to 1,047. Fine and performing arts, up 3.1% to 838.
This year will also be a record year for first-year student retention, with 86 percent of University of Nebraska students returning to campus for their sophomore year. International student enrollment increased for the first time since 2018.
Gold, who was officially installed as NUS’s ninth president last week, said that while the numbers are positive, “we also know we need to continue to accelerate.” He coined the term “Extraordinary Odyssey” to indicate what his presidency would be like.
“The opportunity and responsibility for our public university system to provide a high-quality educational experience at every level and prepare the 21st century workforce that Nebraska needs and deserves has never been greater,” Gold said.
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