There are a record number of students at the University of Iowa this fall semester. Enrollment figures released today show there at 30,409 students at the U-of-I, up 1.4 percent (or 430 students) compared to last fall. University officials say they’re particularly pleased with an 8.2 percent increase in minority students.
Marcella David is the U-of-I associate provost for diversity. "There’s more that we need to do," David says, "but it’s a nice trend that indicates that some of our strategies are paying off." The number of new international undergraduate students at the U-of-I grew by 17.5 percent.
David credits the recently created U-of-I Center for Diversity and Enrichment. "That’s an office that’s playing a really strong role in our outreach efforts," David says, "and also letting students know that once they come to the University of Iowa, they’ll continue to be supported and we’ll help them find a community where they’ll feel comfortable, because comfort will lead to success."
The new freshman at the University of Iowa this year (4,287) represent the second largest first year class in history, just two fewer students than the record set last year. About 40-percent of all the new U-of-I students are from out of state. Iowa State University and the University of Northern Iowa both release their fall enrollment figures last week, and also both reported an increase in students.