Enrollment Data Reveal Record Growth, But Diversity Challenges

Enrollment grew to its highest total in the university’s history, but enrollment among African-American students declined this fall, according to a trove of new campus data released yesterday by the Office of Institutional Research, Planning and Assessment.

The data-reporting arm of the university, IRPA posted a variety of reports that show the diversity and achievement of incoming classes, current students and graduates to internal and external stakeholders.

This fall, the university welcomed 41,200 students, including a freshman class of 4,714. Their average GPA was 4.28 and the middle 50 percent of SAT scores ranged from 1310 to 1460.

IRPA reported a decline in the number of new African-American students who enrolled. Last fall, 12 percent of UMD’s new students--freshmen and transfers--were African-American. This year, that percentage dropped to 10 percent and the decrease was greatest among new freshmen.

“The University of Maryland is deeply committed to providing the best education possible for our students. The outstanding diversity of our student body is essential to achieving that goal,” said Senior Vice President and Provost Mary Ann Rankin. “We are proud to be a leader in the Big Ten in African-American enrollment and graduation rates, but more work is needed to ensure that our educational programs continue to be strengthened by a diverse and talented student body.”

Details about the university’s commitment and initiatives to improve enrollment diversity are available here.

Other highlights of the new data include:

• 7,559 bachelor’s degrees and 2,930 master’s degrees were awarded last fiscal year, the highest for which data are available.
   
• Over three-quarters of new freshmen entered with college credit, averaging 20.18 credits, a number that has been steadily growing.
   
• Two-thirds of new transfer students came from two-year institutions.
   
• Students enrolled from all 50 states, including over 2,000 undergraduates from New Jersey, and over 1,000 from New York.
   
• Foreign students hail from 123 countries and six continents, comprising 5 percent of undergraduates and over one-third of graduate students. Over half come from China and India.
   
• About three-quarters of undergraduates are Maryland residents. Top contributors are Montgomery, Howard, Prince George’s, Baltimore and Anne Arundel counties.
   
• Computer science, biological sciences and mechanical engineering all rank among the top 10 majors for new freshmen and new transfers.