DARTMOUTH – For the first time in four consecutive years, overall enrollment metrics at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth saw gains at the start of the 2018-2019 academic year.
Per the school, enrollment grew thanks to gains in undergraduate, first-year, transfer, online, graduate and law school interest.
The school counted 8,518 students who enrolled at UMass Dartmouth at the start of the fall 2018 term – a 1.3 percent rise from the 8,412 which enrolled at the same time in 2017.
A 7.7 percent year-over-year increase in new first-year students – from 1,320 to 1,421 – was recorded this term.
In addition to an increase in interest from undergraduate students, the academic capabilities of said population are also on the rise. Those students entering UMass Dartmouth this term hold and average SAT score of 1084 as well as an average GPA of 3.25.
Improving from the 610 transfer students who enrolled in fall 2017, there were 733 this year accounting for a 20.2 percent increase. Part of the growth in transfer students can be tied to the closure of Mount Ida College in Newton, Mass., earlier this year and those students’ absorption by local colleges and universities.
A 1.9 percent enrollment increase was witnessed in UMass Dartmouth’s graduate-level programs as well as a 17.5 percent jump in enrolled School of Law students.
Interest in the south coast school is so broad, online classes are reporting a 14.6 percent increase in enrollment over the past two years.
“High school students, parents, and guidance counselors are recognizing that UMass Dartmouth is providing a private college educational experience and a public university value ,” said Chancellor Robert E. Johnson in a statement.
The commencement of the 2018-2019 academic term marks the second year of Johnson’s tenure at the UMass institution.
Emily Gowdey-Backus is a staff writer for PBN. You can follow her on Twitter @FlashGowdey or contact her via email, Gowdey-Backus@PBN.com.
