Athens, Ga. – The numbers at the University of Georgia are up this fall as 8,578 new students are finding their way around UGA’s campuses. Combined undergraduate, graduate and professional numbers equaled 34,816—139 more students than in fall 2010—as enrollment climbed 0.4 percent.
This year’s student numbers are the second highest in UGA’s history, topped only by 2009’s record-breaking 34,885 students.
A total of 26,571 undergraduates are studying on UGA campuses in Athens, Buckhead, Griffin, Gwinnett and Tifton, an increase of 2.8 percent—717 more students than 2010.
For the third straight year, the Faculty of Engineering had the largest percentage growth of all UGA schools at 60.7 percent. Engineering added 102 undergraduates for a total of 270. The Odum School of Ecology saw the second largest increase at 9.8 percent, adding 10 to bring the school to a total of 112 undergraduates.
The Terry College of Business was boosted by its off-campus numbers, making up for a loss of 34 undergraduates on the Athens campus with gains on its Buckhead, Griffin and Gwinnett campuses for a total of 225 new students (2,598 undergraduates total), a 9.8 percent increase.
The College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences added 133 undergraduates for a 7.5 percent increase to 1,862. The College of Public Health was next, with a 4.3 percent increase for a total of 585 students (24 more than 2010). The Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources jumped 3.6 percent, adding 12 new undergraduates for a total of 344.
UGA’s largest college—the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences—saw the most dramatic influx of undergraduates, adding 334 for a total of 14,057, a 2.4 percent increase.
Of the 8,578 new students at UGA, 5,122 are classified as first-time freshmen. Of those, 418 transferred in with enough joint-enrolled credit and/or other credits to be officially classified as sophomores and 21 as juniors. Other new undergraduates include 869 classified as sophomores, 568 as juniors and 72 as seniors.
A total of 482 new professional program students started coursework this fall. In its doctor of pharmacy program, the College of Pharmacy increased by 9.9 percent, or 53 students, for a total of 587. The College of Veterinary Medicine added nine students to its doctorate in the veterinary medicine tract for an increase of 2.2 percent and a total of 418 students while the School of Law saw its numbers dip by nine students, or 1.3 percent, in its juris doctorate program (for a total of 700 students).
This fall 6,489 graduate students—1,750 of them new—are pursuing masters, specialist and doctoral degrees at UGA. Total graduate numbers decreased by 589 students, an 8.3 percent loss.