Enrollment at UMass Reaches Record 74,678 Students

AMHERST — Continuing a decade-long surge, enrollment at the University of Massachusetts is projected to surpass 74,000 students for the first time, rising to 74,678 students enrolled across the five campuses, President Marty Meehan announced.

“When it comes to the quality and excellence of a UMass education, what you see now is a consistency of acclaim that we can only regard as heartening — and well-earned,” Meehan said at a board of trustees meeting held at UMass Lowell. “UMass continues to grow as more and more students and their families recognize the value that our university provides.”

Over the past decade, student enrollment at UMass has risen almost 27%, from 58,939 in the fall of 2006 to the current 74,678, making UMass one of the fastest-growing universities, public or private, in the nation.

In the recently released U.S. News & World Report “Best Colleges” rankings, the four UMass undergraduate campuses for the first time are all represented in the magazine’s top category, making UMass one of the few systems in the nation to have each campus so recognized.

The flagship campus in Amherst rose two spots to be named the 27th best public university in the nation, and UMass Lowell continued its rapid rise, jumping to 78th among public universities. The UMass Boston and UMass Dartmouth campuses tied at 220th among all national universities. Roughly one in 10 degree-granting four-year colleges and universities in the country made the national universities listing this year.

“Rising enrollment reflects what we constantly hear from students and their parents across the Commonwealth — that UMass was the best decision they ever made,” Meehan said.

Projections show a 1.3% increase to 74,678 undergraduate and graduate students in the system this year.

Victor Woolridge, chairman of the board of trustees, noted that enrollment gains in the UMass system were especially impressive considering the continued decline in the number of high-school students graduating from the Commonwealth’s high schools. “At UMass, every campus strives for and achieves excellence. Word is out about the excellent value a UMass education provides.”

The total number of undergraduate students in the UMass system rose 1.2% to a projected 56,927 students, up from 56,258 in the fall of 2015. The number of graduate students in the system rose 1.5% to a projected 17,751 students from 17,486 students last year.

Enrollment at UMass Medical School, which is strictly at the graduate level, increased 2.3% to a projected 1,104 students, compared to 1,079 students last year. Applications rose 119.2% to a projected 4,126 this year, which is the first year the medical school opened a limited number of seats to out-of-state students. Last year, UMass Medical School received 1,882 applications.