Tucson Standard

The University of Arizona is set to welcome its largest and most diverse class in history next week, with over 9,300 first-year students, including a record 4,900 Arizona residents. Classes are scheduled to start on Monday.

This year's enrollment figures surpass last year's record-setting class by nearly 5% compared to 2022 and 10% higher than in 2021. These statistics exclude students from the University of Arizona Global Campus but include those enrolled in Arizona Online.

Enrollment growth has been notable across the state, particularly from Coconino County (19%), Maricopa and Pima counties (3% each), and Yavapai County (75%).

"The University of Arizona offers so much opportunity for its students," said Kasey Urquídez, vice president of enrollment management and dean of undergraduate admissions. "With our wide variety of majors, you can come here and do anything. We have students that want to do research and experience academics outside the classroom – and you can do that as soon as you arrive."

The incoming class is also the most diverse in university history: 50% self-identify as ethnicities other than white, up from 49% last year. There was a 6% increase in Hispanic/Latinx students and a 29% increase in Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander students compared to 2023. Approximately 28% of the incoming class are first-generation college students.

"The University of Arizona community is proud to welcome the largest and most diverse class in university history,” said University President Robert C. Robbins. "These accomplished students exemplify the academic rigor, determination, and spirit of exploration that makes this university so great."

The U of A received a record-breaking 58,160 first-year student applications this year, representing a 3% increase over last year and a 12% increase since 2022. Urquídez attributed this growth to the efforts of the enrollment team and campus partners who work throughout the year to attract top-tier students.

"As a public, land-grant university, our first and most important job is to ensure that the residents of our state know about the opportunities they can access at this institution," Urquídez said.

Initiatives like Arizona Road Trip have contributed significantly to attracting new students. The program saw participation from more than 2,500 high school students across the state last year.

Programs such as Admitted Students Day also play a role in welcoming new Wildcats by offering tours, activities, and social events for accepted high school seniors.

"We want to help students find their way to us," Urquídez said. "We spend a lot of time sharing college access opportunities with students in eighth through eleventh grades."

Once on campus, new students participate in Destination Arizona, an orientation program designed to introduce them to campus resources while providing networking opportunities.

While Arizona residents make up the largest portion of incoming first-year students, all U.S. states are represented this year. The highest number of out-of-state students come from California, Washington, Colorado, Illinois, and Texas. Internationally, most first-year students hail from India followed by China, Saudi Arabia Mexico,and Canada.

Academically prepared for success with an average unweighted high school GPA of 3.49,the incoming class includes eleven Flinn Scholars,the most among any state university,and several National Scholars across various categories.The W.A.Franke Honors College will welcome over1 ,250newstudents this year.Themostpopularmajorsforincomingstudentsarebusinessmanagement engineering pre-nursing medicineandpsychology

Additionally,theuniversitywillwelcomeover2 ,700newtransferstudentsabout1 ,100ofwhomarestudyingthroughArizonaOnlineaswellas304studentswhopreviouslylefttheuniversitybutarenowreturningOfthisyear'smaincampustransferstudents60 %selfidentifyasethnicitiesotherthanwhiteand52 %selfidentifyasfirstgenerationcollegestudentsupfrom49 %lastyearMoststudentstransferredfromPimaCommunityCollegefollowedbyCochiseCollegeArizonaWesternCollegeinYumaMesaCommunityCollegeandChandlerGilbertCommunityCollegeThemostpopularmajorsfortransferstudentsarecyberoperationsbusinessmanagementbusinessadministrationpsychologyandappliedcomputing