It’s a record year for the University of Kansas.

KU has its largest freshman class and its highest overall enrollment in history, according to annual data released today.

The record-setting freshman class includes 5,323 new Jayhawks — an increase of 1.2% from last year’s class, which at the time was the largest in KU history.

Beyond the freshman class, KU’s overall enrollment has grown 4.8% to 30,770, eclipsing the previous all-time mark of 30,102 set in 2008. This increase includes a 5.6% jump at the Lawrence and Edwards campuses (which are counted together) and a 0.1% decrease at the KU Medical Center campuses.

“This is a special year for the University of Kansas,” said Chancellor Douglas A. Girod. “We are pleased to welcome this historic freshman class and to have grown our overall enrollment to the highest level in the 159-year history of the institution. These numbers confirm that talented students from across Kansas and the world see the value of attending a leading research institution like KU. Additionally, these enrollment numbers speak to the work our faculty and staff do to recruit talented students and support them as they earn their degrees.”

Freshman class size, talent and diversity

In addition to its historic size, this year’s freshman class is talented and diverse. The class boasts a record-high average high school GPA of 3.68. Minority students comprise 26.5% of the class, while out-of-state students account for a record-high 45% of the class.

Moreover, these first-year Jayhawks are entering fields that benefit the Kansas economy and strengthen Kansas communities, with all-time high numbers of freshmen enrolled in the School of Business, School of Education & Human Sciences and School of Journalism.

“While we are pleased to have grown the size of our freshman class,” Girod said, “we are especially proud to have grown with talented, diverse students who are poised to address Kansas’ workforce needs in high-impact fields. Kansas employers look to KU as an engine of economic growth, and these freshmen will help us fulfill that role.”

KU leaders attribute the historic class to the university’s academic reputation and course offerings, recruitment strategies, nationwide network of donors and alumni, athletics profile and financial support from Kansas lawmakers.

Retention and graduation rates

Today’s data also include record-setting retention and graduation rates. This year, KU retained a record-high 86.5% of last year’s freshmen while also notching record-high four-year, five-year and six-year graduation rates.

“The number of new freshmen is the metric that often grabs the headlines, but equally important to our mission and overall enrollment is ensuring that we retain and support existing students as they work toward their degrees,” Girod said. “That’s why we are so proud of this year’s record-setting retention and graduation rates, and that’s why we must remain committed to improving the student experience through teaching, curriculum, advising, health care and other areas that matter to students.”

Additional highlights

• Minority student enrollment is now at an all-time high in terms of total count (7,960 students) and percentage of overall enrollment (25.9%).
• KU has 17,402 in-state students (the most of any university in Kansas) representing all 105 counties in Kansas, as well as 13,368 out-of-state students (the most of any university in Kansas) from 50 states and 116 countries. Surveys show approximately one-third of out-of-state students join the Kansas workforce after graduation, making KU the state’s predominant net importer of talent to address Kansas’ workforce needs.
• KU has a record-high 2,258 veterans, active-duty and military-connected students. This is an increase of 17.4% from last year.

Looking ahead

Girod said KU must continue working to overcome challenges facing higher education.

“This is a historic year for the University of Kansas, and we should all pause to celebrate and be proud of the work we’ve done,” he said. “That said, we must continue our work to recruit and retain top students and create a university they want to attend. Higher education continues to face challenges, and enrollments nationally are projected to continue dropping in the coming years. That’s why we must continue to improve our university through our strategic priorities in alignment with the Kansas Board of Regents’ strategic plan, the needs of Kansas businesses and communities, and our aspirations as one of the nation’s leading research institutions.”

(EDITOR’S NOTE: After using headcount as the unit of measure for many years, the Board of Regents in 2018 transitioned to a full-time equivalency metric. KU continues to use the headcount metric for the convenience of media, policymakers and others who are tracking KU’s year-over-year enrollment progress and want to make an apples-to-apples comparison with previous years’ data.)