Facts and figures: UW-Green Bay’s record graduating class, May 2016

GREEN BAY – University of Wisconsin-Green Bay officials are anticipating that Saturday, May 14 Spring Commencement will help set school records for both total of master’s degrees and all-degrees earned during an academic year. The University’s Spring Commencement Ceremony takes place at 11:30 a.m. Saturday, May 14, at the Kress Events Center on campus.

A total of 953 students are eligible to participate in Saturday’s ceremony. The number eligible to receive bachelor’s degrees is 894. Another 59 are completing master’s degrees.

Other facts and figures related to the May 2016 graduating class:

• Two-thirds of both undergraduate and graduate students are women.
• Among the 894 undergraduates, 66 percent are under the age of 25, 26 percent are ages 25-39, and 8 percent are 40 or older. For master’s candidates, the corresponding percentages are 20, 56 and 24.
• The youngest graduate Saturday will be 19 years old; the oldest candidate 62.
• There’s an even split between graduates who started their college careers as new freshman at UW-Green Bay (55 percent) and those who transferred from another college (55 percent). Twenty-five percent of all bachelor’s candidates completed two-year associate degrees before transferring to UW-Green Bay.
• The mean mathematical age is 26.2 for undergraduates, 33.7 for master’s students.
• Area high schools are well represented among potential graduates. More than 20 percent of the undergraduate candidates completed high school in Brown County. That includes Bay Port, 31; De Pere, 21; Green Bay Southwest, 20; Manitowoc Lincoln, 20; Ashwaubenon, 18; West De Pere, 17; Green Bay Preble, 17; Pulaski, 17; Green Bay East, 16; Luxemburg-Casco, 14.
• Master’s candidates by program: Social Work, 33; Teaching and Learning, 11; Environmental Science and Policy, 7; Sustainable Management, 5; Management, 4.
• Five undergraduate students are graduating with triple majors and 100 will have double majors.
• The dozen largest undergraduate majors, in terms of candidates for Saturday’s ceremony: Business Administration, 155; Integrative Leadership Studies (Adult Degree online program) 88; Psychology, 85; Human Biology, 83; Human Development, 66; Nursing, 64; Communication, 47; Accounting, 42; Education, 41; English, 38; Social Work, 33; Biology, 23. (Please note: Numbers reflect degrees awarded; some students complete multiple majors.)

UW-Green Bay awarded a previous high 68 master’s degrees in 2011-2012. This year, officials estimate as many as 110 master’s degrees will be awarded during the 2015-16 academic year, including 42 on Saturday. As of May 3, a total of 817 students have applied to graduate and another 136 intend to complete their requirements this summer. The University is planning on 728 students participating in Saturday’s ceremony, making it the largest commencement ceremony in school history.

While the all-degree total won’t be final until mid-June when all May 2016 applicants are approved/cleared, officials are optimistic that 2015-16 will be a record-setting year with 1,375 graduates across all degrees. The University’s previous all-degree record was set in 2014-2015 with 1,360 degrees awarded.

About the University of Wisconsin–Green Bay

The University of Wisconsin-Green Bay is a comprehensive public institution offering undergraduate and graduate programs to 6,700 students. The University transforms lives and communities through exceptional and award-winning teaching and research, innovative learning opportunities, and a problem-solving approach to education. For more information, visit www.uwgb.edu.