By the numbers: UW-Green Bay’s freshman class is most diverse to date

The University of Wisconsin-Green Bay will welcome its most diverse freshman class to date this fall, with more than 100 students of color — 12 percent of the class — set to start classes Tuesday, Sept. 4.

As of Wednesday, Aug. 29, UW-Green Bay will welcome 897 freshmen, including 104 students of color. That’s an increase from 84 students — about 9 percent of the class — one year ago, and marks the first time in history the freshman class will contain more than 100 students of color. Following recent trends, the freshman class is heavily female, 69 percent women to 31 percent men. The University’s total student body is 65 percent female and 35 percent male. Here’s a look at some other key numbers this fall, courtesy of UW-Green Bay’s Office of Institutional Research and Assessment:

University enrollment figures
— As of Wednesday, Aug. 29, UW-Green Bay has registered 6,272 students for fall classes, a figure that is approximately the same as at this time last year. That number is expected to increase considerably in the coming weeks as enrollments continue. Many classes — especially for returning adult students — begin throughout the semester.

— Ninety-six percent of students will pursue a bachelor’s degree, with the rest pursuing master’s degrees or taking courses outside of a particular degree program.

— Twenty-nine percent of registered students are considered “nontraditional,” meaning they are age 25 or older. Half of those nontraditional students are majoring in Interdisciplinary Studies or Nursing, two of the University’s fastest growing majors in recent years.

— As in past years, UW-Green Bay’s most heavily enrolled majors will be Business Administration, Human Biology, Human Development, Interdisciplinary Studies, Nursing and Psychology. Each of these majors typically enrolls more than 200 students.

— More than 10 percent of registered students — 669 of 6,272 — come from a minority background. Students of color come from Asian (33 percent), Hispanic (26 percent), First Nations (21 percent), African American (13 percent) and mixed race (7 percent) backgrounds. First Nations students come largely from Oneida and Menominee tribes, and represent more than 25 other tribes and bands as well.

Freshmen enrollment figures
— This year’s freshmen have home addresses in 64 of Wisconsin’s 72 counties, nine other states (Alaska, California, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri and New Hampshire), Puerto Rico, Canada and Germany. Additional international students will register later this week.

— Some of the high schools contributing the largest number of freshmen to UW-Green Bay’s new class are Green Bay East (24 students), Bay Port (22 students) and Green Bay Preble (21 students).

— Eighty percent of new freshmen students finished high school with at least a ‘B’ average. The average high school grade point average for the class is 3.35, similar to last year’s 3.33. The average ACT composite score is 22.6, with half of the incoming freshman scoring 23 or higher. The national average is 22.

— Seventy-nine percent of freshmen will live on campus, part of a record 2,050 students who will do likewise.

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