The University of Arizona will welcome its largest and most diverse class in university history next week when more than 9,300 first-year students – including a record 4,900 Arizona residents – start their Wildcat journeys. Classes start Monday.

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This year's first-year student enrollment tops last year's recording-setting class and is nearly 5% higher than it was in 2022 and 10% higher than it was in 2021. These numbers do not include students attending the University of Arizona Global Campus, which offers students rolling start dates, but they do include Arizona Online students.

The university has experienced growth in enrollment from across the state, particularly from Coconino County, which increased by 19%, and Maricopa and Pima counties, which both increased by 3% since 2023. Yavapai County enrollment grew by 75%.

"The University of Arizona offers so much opportunity for its students," said Kasey Urquídez, vice president of enrollment management and dean of undergraduate admissions. "With our wide variety of majors, you can come here and do anything. We have students that want to do research and experience academics outside the classroom – and you can do that as soon as you arrive. There are so many ways to get involved and really find your niche with our array of offerings."

This year's first-year students are also part of the most diverse class in university history: 50% self-identify as ethnicities other than white, up from 49% last year. There was a 6% increase in Hispanic/Latinx students and a 29% increase in Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander students, compared to 2023. Latinx is a gender-neutral term for someone from a Spanish-speaking country or from Latin America.

Roughly 28% of the incoming class self-identify as first-generation college students.

"The University of Arizona community is proud to welcome the largest and most diverse class in university history,” said University of Arizona President Robert C. Robbins. "These accomplished students exemplify the academic rigor, determination and spirit of exploration that makes this university so great. I wish them all the best as they embark on their Wildcat journey."

Interest in Arizona

The U of A received 58,160 first-year student applications this year, the most in its history. This represents a 3% increase over last year and a 12% increase since 2022. Urquídez credited the growth to the efforts of the enrollment team and campus partners who work throughout the year, on and off campus, to attract world-class students and future scholars. 

"As a public, land-grant university, our first and most important job is to ensure that the residents of our state know about the opportunities that they can access at this institution," Urquídez said. "That may be through special programming and services, early academic outreach initiatives or just helping families understand what it's like going to college – and showing them that it can be affordable and accessible."

Among the initiatives designed to attract new students is Arizona Road Trip, in which first- and second-year Arizona high school students spend half a day visiting the U of A and learning more about university programs and life on campus, directly from students. In 2023, 35 high schools and more than 2,500 students from across the state took part in the program.

Programs like Arizona Road Trip have proven effective, Urquídez said. The university saw a 43% increase in first-year student enrollment from both Ironwood Ridge High School and Sonoran Science Academy, as well as a 28% increase from Salpointe Catholic High School and an 18% increase from Sunnyside High School – all located in the Tucson area. Elsewhere in Arizona, the U of A saw a 74% increase in first-year students from Canyon View High School in Waddell and a 61% increase from Cactus Shadows High School in Cave Creek.

The university also hosts the annual Admitted Students Day, which offers high school seniors accepted to the university an opportunity to tour campus, participate in a variety of games and activities, and socialize with other future Wildcats. Students also have access to virtual orientations over the summer to help them create checklists and prepare for college life.

"We want to help students find their way to us, and we work really hard to ensure we are doing that in our local communities," Urquídez said. "We spend a lot of time sharing college access opportunities with students in eighth through 11th grades, so that they are prepared for college when the time is right. We really pride ourselves in personalizing a large, public research institution through our recruitment process."

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Once students begin their Wildcat journeys, they are formally welcomed to campus at Destination Arizona, a two-day, on-campus orientation program that helps familiarize new students with campus resources and provides opportunities to network with other new students. The program includes a New Student Convocation, where U of A leadership welcomes students to campus. 

While Arizona residents constitute the largest number of incoming first-year students, all 50 states are represented in this year's class, with the highest number of out-of-state students moving from California, Washington, Colorado, Illinois and Texas. 

Outside the U.S., the most first-year students came from India, followed by China, Saudi Arabia, Mexico and Canada.

Academic excellence

This year's incoming class is also academically prepared for success, with an average unweighted high school GPA of 3.49. The class includes 11 Flinn Scholars, the most of any university in the state, as well as 209 National Hispanic Scholars, 37 National African American Scholars, 18 National Indigenous Scholars and 70 National Rural/Small Town Scholars. 

The W.A. Franke Honors College will welcome more than 1,250 new students this year.

The most popular majors for incoming students are business management, engineering, pre-nursing, medicine and psychology.

Transferring success

The university will also welcome over 2,700 new transfer students, about 1,100 of whom are studying through Arizona Online, as well as 304 students who previously left the university but are now returning. Of this year's main campus transfer students, 60% self-identify as ethnicities other than white, and 52% self-identify as first-generation college students, up from 49% last year.

Most students transferred from Pima Community College, followed by Cochise College, Arizona Western College in Yuma, Mesa Community College and Chandler-Gilbert Community College. 

The most popular majors for transfer students are cyber operations, business management, business administration, psychology and applied computing.