The University of Arizona will welcome its largest and most diverse class in university history – which also includes a record number of students from Arizona – when about 9,300 first-year students start classes on Monday.

This year's first-year enrollment surpasses last year's historically large class and is 7% higher than the 2021 incoming class.

"I am thrilled to welcome another strong class of first-year students to the University of Arizona, and I look forward to seeing them pursue their goals and dreams as Wildcats in the days and years to come," said University of Arizona President Robert C. Robbins. "The members of our recruitment and enrollment team continue to amaze me with the great work they do to bring outstanding students to our campus, and I thank them for their important efforts."

This year's first-year students make up the most diverse incoming class in university history, with 49% self-identifying as ethnicities other than white. That's up from 47% last year and 45% in 2021.

Native American first-year student enrollment increased 28% over last year. The increase comes about a year after the university announced the Arizona Native Scholars Grant, which covers tuition and mandatory fees for full-time undergraduate students from Arizona's 22 federally recognized tribes who are studying on the main campus.

The university also saw a 12% increase over 2022 in incoming students who identify as Black or African American, and a 10% increase in students who identify as Hispanic or Latinx. Latinx is a gender-neutral term for someone from a Spanish-speaking country or from Latin America.

Students who self-identify as the first in their family to attend college make up about 30% of the university's incoming class, a slight increase over the 2022 and 2021 first-year classes.

The university received a record number of first-year applicants, about 56,200.

This year's incoming class is also one of the most academically prepared, with an average GPA of 3.61. The class includes about 1,100 W.A. Franke Honors College students, 85 National Merit Scholars, 171 National Hispanic Scholars and 10 Flinn Scholars – the most Flinn Scholars of any university in the state.

All 50 states and 45 countries are represented in this year's incoming class. After Arizona, the states with the highest first-year enrollment are California, Washington, Colorado, Illinois and Texas.

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

The high number of in-state first-year students is the result of a deliberate effort to serve local and state high school students, said Kasey Urquídez, UArizona vice president of enrollment management and dean of undergraduate admissions.

In particular, the university saw a 68% increase over last year in first-year student enrollment from Rincon High School and a 60% increase from Flowing Wells High School. There also was a 36% increase in enrollment from Rio Rico High School in Rio Rico, about 70 miles south of Tucson. The university also saw a 56% increase in first-year students from Chaparral High School in Scottsdale.

"We have a dedicated focus on our community," Urquídez said. "We want them to be Wildcats and think of us first."

More than 2,800 transfer students have enrolled in classes, and transfer student enrollment will continue into the first week of classes. About half of those transfer students are taking classes through Arizona Online.

The number of transfer student applications – more than 10,000 – also set a university record and marked an 8% increase over last year. More than half of this year's transfer students are first-generation students, and in-state transfer student enrollment increased by 12% over last year.

In addition to online orientation events to help incoming students understand the class registration process, all students also must attend Destination Arizona on Friday and Saturday. The two-day, in-person orientation event will help students connect with their classmates and get to know the campus.

"As we start this new academic year, I extend my heartfelt gratitude to the dedicated teams and campus community whose unwavering support and tireless efforts brought energy to countless events and outreach opportunities that drew talented new students from around the globe," Urquídez said. "We are proud to be a college destination of choice, where thousands of new students are excited about our promise of an outstanding college education with top-tier student services and support."