UVM’s Focus on Access and Affordability Results in Increased Vermonter, BIPOC, and International Enrollments for Class of 2027
Vermont Business Magazine The University of Vermont’s commitment to a high-quality, accessible, and affordable education has resulted in a projected 8% increase in the number of students from the state of Vermont in the class of 2027 compared to last year.
“We’re committed to helping the best and brightest Vermont students attend college right here in their home state,” said UVM President Suresh Garimella. “As our state’s flagship university, we provide students a top-tier educational experience that is also increasingly affordable.”
Moses Murphy, UVM’s director of admissions, said that affordability initiatives mean that 40% of incoming Vermont students will pay no tuition this fall.
“As someone who was born and raised in Vermont, I’m particularly buoyed by the increases in both the number and quality of students we’re enrolling from Vermont,” Murphy said.
The university has made concerted efforts to make a UVM education affordable for all students through a tuition freeze announced in 2019. Both out-of-state and Vermont students will pay tuition rates that have not increased for five academic years.
The UVM Promise, announced last fall, provides additional financial assistance to Vermont families trying to meet the soaring cost of a quality education. Beginning this fall, admitted undergraduate students from Vermont whose household adjusted gross income is $60,000 or less are receiving federal, state and institutional grants and scholarships to cover full tuition and the comprehensive fee.
UVM’s efforts are paying off: Eighteen percent of students in next year’s class are projected to be from Vermont, an increase of 8% compared to last year’s incoming class; 139 are Catamount Commitment scholars, a program that covers tuition and fees for federal Pell Grant-eligible Vermonters; and 39 are Green & Gold scholars, representing over 60% of the highest-achieving students in the state.
The class of 2027 is also characterized by increases in students who identify as BIPOC, first-generation college students, international students, and students from outside the northeast. While official statistics for the new class will not be finalized and published until a few weeks into the fall semester, projections show:
- UVM’s admission rate this year is 60%, matching last year’s rate as the most selective in recent university history.
- 16% of the class identifies as BIPOC, making it UVM’s most diverse first-year class.
- 11% of class members are first-generation college students, a continued increase over previous years’ admitted classes.
- International students increased by 37% compared to last year’s class.
- 50% of students will come from outside of New England, a result of the university’s efforts to expand its applicant pool beyond the northeast.
- Members of the class of 2027 will represent 45 states and 23 countries.
- The class includes 8% more men compared to last year, beginning to reverse a national trend also reflected at UVM that shows fewer and fewer men attending college.
“This new class proves that the value of a UVM education continues to rise,” said Vice Provost for Enrollment Management Jay Jacobs. “The most talented students from Vermont, from across the country, and around the globe are choosing a UVM degree at higher rates than we have ever seen. We can’t wait to see what the future holds.”
About the University of Vermont
Since 1791, the University of Vermont has worked to move humankind forward. UVM’s strengths align with the most pressing needs of our time: the health of our societies and the health of our environment. Our size—large enough to offer a breadth of ideas, resources, and opportunities, yet intimate enough to enable close faculty-student mentorship across all levels of study—allows us to pursue these interconnected issues through cross-disciplinary research and collaboration. Providing an unparalleled educational experience for our students, and ensuring their success, are at the core of what we do. As one of the nation’s first land grant universities, UVM advances Vermont and the broader society through the discovery and application of new knowledge.
UVM is derived from the Latin Universitas Viridis Montis (in English, University of the Green Mountains).
Source: 5.16.2023. BURLINGTON, Vt. —The University of Vermont
