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Enrollment at the 12 University System of Maryland institutions is expected to remain level in the school year set to begin Aug. 30 at most college campuses.
About 169,000 students are expected to be enrolled in the university system, which聽聽that COVID vaccines would be required for students, according to preliminary data from the Office of Institutional Research.
That鈥檚 about the same as enrollment of last fall.
About 13,000 students are expected to enroll as first-time, full-time freshmen.
The university system believes it may have bucked an expectation of enrollment decline during the unrelenting COVID-19 pandemic. Final enrollment figures are expected in October.
About 80% of total enrollment is for undergraduate students.
鈥淚 can鈥檛 wait for the fall semester, and what it means for the USM community. Of course, we鈥檒l have to monitor COVID conditions and implement safety protocols, but having our students living and learning聽on campus will rekindle the energy 鈥� the sense of connection 鈥� that鈥檚 so essential to the college experience,鈥� said Chancellor Jay A. Perman said in a statement.
鈥淚 know our students have missed that, and so have our faculty and staff. I鈥檝e been chancellor nearly two years, and it鈥檚 the first time I鈥檒l see our universities begin the fall semester with the activity and excitement of a traditional school year,鈥� Perman said. 鈥淪o we鈥檙e all ready for it.鈥�
Other preliminary enrollment details released Monday from the system include:
- For the fall semester, an estimated 57 percent of undergraduates will identify as non-white, or as non-U.S. citizens.
- Nearly 40,000 undergraduates in fall 2021 are majoring in science, technology, engineering or mathematics. Another 10,000 students are majoring in the health professions.
