After record-setting application numbers, UMD faculty and staff are busy with last minute preparations for the 2018-19 school year.
Bulldog Welcome Week
Bulldog Welcome Week kicks-off Tuesday, August 21 when UMD’s freshmen move to campus. The week is designed to let new students feel what it’s like to be a Bulldog, meet new friends, and connect with campus and student organizations.
Facilitating all this is a team of Rockstars– 130 students who lead small groups in orientations throughout the week.
Homeward Bound
The Housing and Residence Life Move-In starts at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, August 21 when vehicles packed with families, dorm accessories, and mixed emotions roll into Duluth. Move-in continues until 3 p.m. in front of Lake Superior and Griggs Hall, 508 Niagara Court.
Chancellor Lendley (Lynn) Black and his leadership team will join current students in welcoming the new Bulldogs.
Food tents and KUMD Radio will be set up for families to enjoy at Griggs Beach, which is actually a grassy area behind Lake Superior Hall.
Director of Housing and Residence Life Jeremy Leiferman says UMD campus housing is at capacity, with 2,889 residents, including 2,210 new students.
This summer, the University of Minnesota System gave UMD the green light to start planning for the construction of a new residence hall that will help alleviate these space constraints.
Quality Assurance
So far, 10,320 new high school and transfer students have applied for admission to UMD. This is a 5% increase over last year, and the most applications UMD has ever received.
While interest is surging, UMD’s Assistant Vice Chancellor of Enrollment Management Mary Keenan says the applications don’t correlate to more Bulldogs. “UMD leadership monitors enrollment closely with specific consideration to ensuring the highest quality experience for our students. Capacity in high demand programs and housing are at the forefront of our enrollment planning.”
Keenan explains that, for these reasons, the decision was made to slightly reduce the size of this year’s freshman class– an estimated 2,200, which is about 50 fewer than last year. “This leveling-off of enrollment allows us to ensure a quality learning and living experience for our students now and into the future.”
She adds that, while the freshman class is about 50 students fewer than last year, it’s comprised of 80 more students than the fall of 2016 cohort.
A Closer Look
UMD’s 2018-19 Freshman Class
Estimated size 2,220
Minnesota residents 87%
Wisconsin residents 11%
The rest of UMD’s freshman come from 19 other states and eight countries.
This is a more diverse class, as 14.4% self-identify as a student of color or as having Native American heritage.
This group of students also has a slightly stronger academic profile, with an average high school grade point average of 3.54, compared to last year’s 3.50.
The most popular freshman majors are pre-business, biology, psychology, mechanical engineering, computer science, teaching fields, and undeclared.
2018-19 Enrollment
Official enrollment numbers are available two weeks after the University of Minnesota’s first day of classes, but the estimated campus enrollment is as follows:
Undergraduate 9,165 (2017– 9,199)
Graduate 695 (2017– 669)
Non-degree and professional 1,180 (2017– 1,300)
Total estimated campus enrollment 11,040 (2017– 11,168)
“The slight decline in the undergraduate headcount is due both to the smaller freshman class and, more significantly, to a larger graduating class in 2018,” says Keenan.
2018 graduated headcount 1,944
2017 graduated headcount 1,814
2016 graduated headcount 1,753
UMD classes start August 27, 2018.