University of Nebraska enrollment grows to 49,749

Enrollment at the University of Nebraska has reached its highest level since 2021, with a total of 49,749 students enrolled across the system this fall, President Jeffrey P. Gold, M.D., announced today.

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln grew for the first time since 2017, with strong gains at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, and the University of Nebraska Medical Center recorded its 24th straight record-high enrollment, together helping to drive a 0.7 percent system-wide increase.

Enrollment of undergraduate students and resident students also grew system-wide, both key demographics as the university seeks to grow educational attainment in the state and deliver a highly skilled workforce for Nebraska. The University of Nebraska at Omaha saw growth among graduate students, and the University of Nebraska at Kearney signaled strong student retention with growth among continuing undergraduate students.

"A growing University of Nebraska means a growing State of Nebraska, and that's good news for our workforce, for the strength of our communities, and our future competitiveness," Dr. Gold said. "I'm very pleased that students and families continue to recognize the combination of quality and value that all our campuses provide.

"While we are proud of our growth, we also know we need to keep our foot on the accelerator. The opportunity and responsibility for our public university system to offer a high-quality educational experience at all levels and produce the 21st-century workforce Nebraska needs and deserves has never been greater. Every entering class is a celebration - now we must make sure we retain these students and support them all the way to a degree as we pursue the Odyssey to Extraordinary."

Dr. Gold credited a re-energized focus on student recruitment and engagement for putting the University of Nebraska on an upward trajectory in spite of challenges facing all of higher education. Those include changing demographics as well as last year's botched rollout of a redesigned Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FASFA) produced by the U.S. Department of Education, which has created significant uncertainty for students as they weigh their college decisions. FAFSA completions by Nebraska students are down 11 percent compared to this time last year, according to a national FAFSA tracker.

Notably, this year the University of Nebraska launched the new Presidential Scholars Program to compete more effectively for top academic performers by providing full cost of attendance scholarships plus a $5,000 annual stipend to Nebraska students who score a perfect 36 on the ACT. The program has been a significant success in its early months, roughly doubling the number of 36 ACT students who choose the university, and NU is currently building plans to expand it to give more high achievers an opportunity to compete for a scholarship.

Dr. Gold also pointed to the growth in total student credit hours as a point of pride, noting it signals progress toward improving students' time-to-degree.

Details on the University of Nebraska's fall 2024 enrollment are below. Figures are based on a student census taken on the sixth day of classes.

System-wide enrollment totals
University of Nebraska System total headcount: 49,749 (0.7 percent increase)
First-time freshmen: 7,728 (1.8 percent decrease)
Undergraduate students: 36,446 (0.8 percent increase)
Graduate students: 9,747 (0.3 percent decrease)
Professional students: 3,556 (0.8 percent increase)
Resident students: 37,903 (1 percent increase)
Nonresident students: 11,846 (0.5 percent decrease)
Full-time student enrollment: 40,150 (1.5 percent increase)
Student credit hours: 604,488 (0.9 percent increase)

Campus enrollment totals
University of Nebraska-Lincoln: 23,992 (1.7 percent increase)
University of Nebraska at Omaha: 14,972 (0.3 percent decrease)
University of Nebraska at Kearney: 5,881 (2.3 percent decrease)
University of Nebraska Medical Center: 4,703 (3.2 percent increase)
Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture: 201 (13.4 percent decrease)

About the University of Nebraska

The University of Nebraska is the state's only public university system, made up of four campuses - UNL, UNO, UNK and UNMC - each with a distinct role and mission. Together the campuses enroll nearly 50,000 students and employ 16,000 faculty and staff who serve the state, nation and world through education, research and outreach. For more information and news from the University of Nebraska, visit www.nebraska.edu/news.