Students walk near the fountain at Old Main on the University of Arizona campus. From August 2019.
The University of Arizona has broken its record, welcoming its most diverse class in university history.
More than 9,300 first-year students are beginning their collegiate journey this week at the University of Arizona making it UA’s largest, most diverse class.
"These accomplished students exemplify the academic rigor, determination, and spirit of exploration that makes this university so great,” outgoing UA President Robert Robbins said. “I wish them all the best as they embark on their Wildcat journey."
Enrollment for the fall semester shows a 5% increase from 2022 and a 10% increase from 2021. The jump comes after a university-wide push to increase the number of in-state students. One initiative designed to attract new students included a half-day visit to campus called Arizona Road Trip, where prospective students can learn directly from enrolled students about what campus life looks like.
"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 that they can access at this institution," Kasey Urquídez, vice president of enrollment management and dean of undergraduate admissions, said. "That may be through special programming and services, early academic outreach initiatives or just helping families understand what it's like going to college – and showing them that it can be affordable and accessible."
Half of this year’s first-year students identify as ethnicities other than white. 28% consider themselves first-generation college students. Applications from first-year students also reached record-breaking numbers at 58,160. This is a 12% increase from 2022 and a 3% increase from last year.
The university is also welcoming over 2,700 new transfer students of which 1,100 of them are studying through Arizona Online.
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