The Class of 2023 brings a wealth of academic talent, high aspirations, and unprecedented diversity when those freshmen arrive in coming days at the University of Connecticut, where a record-high number of about 24,200 undergraduates are preparing to start the new academic year.<\/p>\n
About 77% of this year\u2019s freshmen originate from Connecticut, and the class is one of the most academically accomplished in recent history. It also includes a record number of 176 valedictorians and salutatorians, more than double the number 10 years ago.<\/p>\n
Welcome New Huskies: The Freshmen Move In.<\/a><\/p>\n The class is also the most representative of the state\u2019s and nation\u2019s diversity, which a record 41 percent of incoming UConn Storrs freshmen being students of color.<\/p>\n This fall, UConn\u2019s overall undergraduate student body will number a record 24,200, which is almost 4,000 more students than at this time 10 years ago.<\/p>\n About 4,600 of this year\u2019s students \u2013 including one-third of the new freshmen – are enrolled at the regional campuses in Hartford<\/a>, Waterbury<\/a>, Stamford<\/a> and Avery Point<\/a>. That, too, is a new record, attesting to the strength of those campuses and the success of UConn\u2019s investments in their academic offerings.<\/p>\n A decade ago, the regional campuses had a combined enrollment of about 4,250, about 350 lower than today.<\/p>\n About 77% of UConn\u2019s incoming freshmen are Connecticut natives, the highest number in recent years. Overall, about 80% of UConn\u2019s undergraduate student body hails from Connecticut, a number that has held steady for more than a decade and isn\u2019t expected to change in the foreseeable future.<\/p>\n This year\u2019s freshmen join UConn at an auspicious time, becoming Huskies at the start of Thomas C. Katsouleas<\/a>\u2019 service as the university\u2019s 16th president. They are also starting as several exciting initiatives get under way or come to completion, notably this month\u2019s opening of the new Student Recreation Center<\/a> at UConn Storrs.<\/p>\n More than three-quarters of the approximately 5,450 freshmen enrolling across UConn\u2019s campuses are Connecticut residents, hailing from 162 of the state\u2019s 169 towns and cities along with 28 other states, two U.S. territories, and 35 countries.<\/p>\n About 1,000 transfer students \u2013 of whom 87 percent are from Connecticut \u2013 will be joining the 5,450 new freshmen, according to preliminary figures released Aug. 21.<\/p>\n About 3,650 of the freshmen will be based at UConn Storrs, where first-year students start moving into residence halls Friday and other students return throughout the weekend. Classes begin Monday, Aug. 26, at all campuses.<\/p>\n They\u2019re also academically exceptional, with the freshmen at Storrs averaging 1296 on their SAT scores \u2013 the second-highest among recent classes \u2013 and 41% are students of color, not including the approximately 500 international students joining UConn\u2019s student body this year.<\/p>\n Katsouleas said he expects great things from the incoming Huskies as they navigate their first year at UConn together.<\/p>\n \u201cThe members of the class of 2023 chose UConn for a variety of reasons, including our academic reputation, the quality of our facilities, and the vibrancy of our campuses,\u201d he said. \u201cIt is also the incredible sense of community and school spirit that helped to draw so many here, including me.<\/p>\n \u201cFor the members of this class, the next four years will be about growth and new experiences, both in and out of the classroom,\u201d he added. \u201cTheir time at UConn will shape them, allow them to discover who they are, and help them to choose their pursuits in life. And if we do our job right, their UConn education will empower them to create a better community and a better world.\u201d<\/p>\n