This article was republished with permission from WTOP’s news partners at Maryland Matters. Sign up for Maryland Matters’ free email subscription today.
This content was republished with permission from WTOP’s news partners at Maryland Matters. Sign up for Maryland Matters’ free email subscription today.
Enrollment at the 12 University System of Maryland institutions is expected to remain level in the school year set to begin Aug. 30 at most college campuses.
About 169,000 students are expected to be enrolled in the university system, which announced in April that COVID vaccines would be required for students, according to preliminary data from the Office of Institutional Research.
That’s about the same as enrollment of last fall.
About 13,000 students are expected to enroll as first-time, full-time freshmen.
The university system believes it may have bucked an expectation of enrollment decline during the unrelenting COVID-19 pandemic. Final enrollment figures are expected in October.
About 80% of total enrollment is for undergraduate students.
“I can’t wait for the fall semester, and what it means for the USM community. Of course, we’ll have to monitor COVID conditions and implement safety protocols, but having our students living and learning on campus will rekindle the energy — the sense of connection — that’s so essential to the college experience,” said Chancellor Jay A. Perman said in a statement.
“I know our students have missed that, and so have our faculty and staff. I’ve been chancellor nearly two years, and it’s the first time I’ll see our universities begin the fall semester with the activity and excitement of a traditional school year,” Perman said. “So we’re all ready for it.”
Other preliminary enrollment details released Monday from the system include:
- For the fall semester, an estimated 57 percent of undergraduates will identify as non-white, or as non-U.S. citizens.
- Nearly 40,000 undergraduates in fall 2021 are majoring in science, technology, engineering or mathematics. Another 10,000 students are majoring in the health professions.
