After graduating its largest class in its history in 2017-18, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln announced a fall 2018 enrollment of 25,820, its third highest ever.

Enrollment increases include:

• Colleges of Arts and Sciences enrollment grew by 1.4 percent.
• Professional student enrollment (law, architecture, audiology and hearing science, plant health and veterinary medicine) grew by 8.7 percent.
• The College of Law increased its enrollment by 33 students, a 9 percent increase.
• Enrollment in the College of Agricultural Science and Natural Resources grew by 3.8 percent.
• The College of Fine and Performing Arts grew by 2.6 percent.
• The College of Journalism and Mass Communications saw a 1.2 percent growth in its enrollment.

Although the university experienced a 1 percent decline for 2018, overall enrollment has grown 7.1 percent in the last decade. The decrease is the first the university has reported since 2012 and is largely attributable to a decline in international student and graduate enrollments. In the past two years, universities and colleges across the United States have experienced declining international enrollments.

Total graduate student enrollment decreased by 180 students. A significant portion of the decrease results from last year’s strong graduation numbers. The university conferred an all-time high of 1,268 master’s, doctoral and post-master’s degrees during the last academic year, an increase of 138 from 2016-17.

This fall’s official census report marks several important enrollment milestones:

• The university has enrolled the most diverse student body in its history with 3,772 students of color, a 1.4 percent increase from last fall. Students of color now comprise 15.6 percent of the student body.
• The university’s first-year class has one of the strongest academic profiles in its history. The class enters with an average ACT score of 25.4, matching the all-time high set in 2014.
• Nonresident enrollment has reached a record 8,562 students. Out-of-state students now comprise a third of the student body.

Fall semester registrations are reported annually to the University of Nebraska system, based on sixth class day census registrations.