The University of Kansas has its highest enrollment in school history for the third straight year, with 31,464 students enrolled across the university’s campuses.
That’s an increase of 295 from last year’s mark. This year’s freshman class is the fourth largest in KU history, and the university retained a record 88% of last year’s freshman class, according to a KU news release.
“Three consecutive years of record enrollment reflect the strength of our work to recruit students and, just as importantly, to help existing students succeed once they arrive at KU,” Chancellor Doug Girod said in the release. “We’re proud that students continue to see the value of a KU education and that more of them are staying on track to earn their degrees.”
This year’s freshman class also has an average high school GPA of 3.69, the second highest mark in school history, according to the release. About 59% of first-time freshmen are Kansas residents.
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The release also touts KU’s record graduation rates. The university saw four-year and five-year graduation rates of 59.2% and 68%, respectively.
“New freshman numbers often grab the headlines this time of year, especially after several years of record-setting freshman classes,” Girod said. “But our ability to retain and support students already at KU is just as important to the overall enrollment picture.”
Among the 31,464 students enrolled are 3,058 fully online students, which is the second-highest number in the university’s history, not counting COVID-19 years.
The number of international students at KU has continued to decline. Before 2020, the university regularly saw more than 2,000 international students, but that number has generally decreased since, including the last two years.
This year, KU has 1,778 international students across all campuses, which amounts to 5.7% of students, the lowest share since 2017, the earliest year for which KU has detailed enrollment data published.
The university expects a decrease in enrollment moving forward due to declining birthrates following the Great Recession, according to the release.
“We should take pride in this year’s enrollment results and the work that made them possible, while remaining focused on how we can continue to serve students and meet the challenges ahead,” Girod said.
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Cuyler Dunn (he/him), staff reporter, has worked with The Lawrence Times since April 2022. He can be reached at [email protected].
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