UW-Green Bay records highest enrollment to date

2017 sees biggest freshman class in five years, more diversity and more graduate students

GREEN BAY – The University of Wisconsin-Green Bay has surpassed the 7,000-mark for enrollment for the second consecutive year and is reporting an official headcount for the Fall 2017 semester at 7,158 students — up 128 students from a year ago and an increase of 379 students the past two years. UW-Green Bay is seeing strong increases in minority enrollment and graduate student enrollment.

Fall 2017 total student population:

• 4,689 women (65%) and 2,489 men (35%)
• 6,815 undergraduate level (95%) and 363 graduate level (5%)
• 862 underrepresented minorities (12%)
• 122 from other minority backgrounds (2%)
• 97 international students
• 6,505 Wisconsin residents. (24% from Brown County), 54% from New North
• 335 from other states and countries

“UW-Green Bay provides students opportunities to connect directly with internationally recognized professors in the student’s area of interest. That coupled with a supportive, fun learning environment and a surrounding community full of engaging hands-on internships and research, students have every opportunity to be successful,” said UW-Green Bay Director of Admissions, Jen Jones. “The word is getting out about what a great education UW-Green Bay has to offer and more students are choosing UWGB.”

Jones said her enrollment team works on a number of ways to reach more students: social media, classroom presentations, campus visits, Phuture Phoenix, TurboCharge, proud alumni and community members and new partnerships with transfer institutions. “All of these have contributed to better awareness of all the benefits of being a UW-Green Bay Phoenix,” Jones said.

Recording the largest freshman class in several years is a source of pride for the community, according to UW-Green Bay’s Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs and Campus Climate, Eric E. Arneson, ED. D, “The fact that we are growing enrollment makes a pretty strong statement about how the community views the value of a UW-Green Bay education. We are especially pleased that our commitment to diversity and inclusion has translated into a significant increase in minority students who feel they have a home with us.”

The fall figures are bolstered by a strong freshmen class with 975 having enrolled in fall — the largest class since 2012.The class is 14% larger than last year’s freshman class and 20% larger than the 2015 cohort, reflecting a strong upward trend in demand for traditional freshman populations.

Of this year’s freshman class:

• 941 are full-time — 96%
• 651 are female — 67% (mirroring last year)
• 150 (15%) are under-represented minorities and 18% are non-white
• Although they range in age from 18 to 52 years old, 96% are either 18 or 19 and almost all completed high school in 2017
• They originate from 16 states and 11 countries
• 19% are from Brown County (up from 15% a year ago); and 49% come from the New North region
• 22% entered with a 3.75 GPA? or better and 20 entered with a 4.0
• Business Administration, Psychology, Human Biology, Elementary Education, Biology, Computer Science, Accounting, Social Work, English and Environmental Sciences, were the top declared majors, respectively
• 48% have declared first-generation status
• Green Bay Preble is the largest feeder school with 38 students enrolled at UW-Green Bay, followed by Bay Port (32), Pulaski (22), De Pere (18), Notre Dame (14), Seymour (14), Green Bay Southwest (13), West De Pere and Kimberly (11), Ashwaubenon, Green Bay East, Green Bay West and Neenah (10).
• More than 96% completed the ACT test and their average composite score was 22.4, compared to 20.5 across Wisconsin and 20.8 nationwide. The percent meeting college-ready benchmarks established by ACT are above national and state rates for all components of the assessment. This year’s class scored especially high on English
• 47% enter having completed one or more college courses, 40 enter with sophomore status, and two will start as juniors—demonstrating the growing demand for college credit in high school programming across the state

The racial and ethnic profile of the new class largely mirrors the demographics of the state as a whole. The relatively low number of Black students (3%) reflects the lower presence of Black people in Brown County (2%). Most American Indian students are from two or more races, and represent the following tribes and bands: Blackfoot, Cherokee, Chippewa, Ho-Chunk, Menominee, Mohican, Oneida, Ottawa and Potawatomi.

“We could not be more pleased with our outstanding freshman class,” Arneson said. “They are the largest class in years and have brought an energy and diversity that is propelling UW-Green Bay quickly into the future. There has never been a better time to join the Phoenix family.”

20 New Programs in High-Demand Fields May be Boosting Enrollment

In the last two years, UW-Green Bay has added more than 20 programs in high-demand fields including Supply Chain Management, Business Analysis, Engineering Technology (Electrical, Environmental and Mechanical), Computer Science Security and Software, Digital and Public Humanities, Psychology (online), Human Development (online), Game Studies, Information Technology, Health Communication, Pre-Art Therapy, Early Childhood Education, Social Work and Child Welfare, Data Science Analytics (certificate), Nurse 1-2-1, master of Science in Health and Wellness Management, Master of Social Work, and English as a Second Language/Bilingual Teacher (certificate). The University will launch its first-ever doctorate program in Fall 2018 with the Ed.D. in First Nations Education.

Graduate Student Enrollment is up 33%

Fall 2017 brought another year of strong growth for UW-Green Bay’s graduate programs with 299 students enrolled this fall (up from 234 a year ago).

“Full-time student enrollment is up approximately 33% from the same time last year, reflecting the addition of our new online program in Health and Wellness Management, continued growth in our young online programs in Sustainable Management and Data Science, and high demand for our face-to-face Social Work program,” remarked Associate Vice Chancellor and Director of Graduate Studies, Mathew Dornbush. “With many innovative changes underway for our existing graduate programs, and the launch of our first Doctoral program in First Nations Education scheduled for the 2018-2019 academic year, Phoenix graduate programs continue their rise.”

About the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay

The University of Wisconsin-Green Bay is a comprehensive public institution offering undergraduate and graduate programs to 7,158 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.

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