Class Of 2021 At UConn Has More Top Students, More At Regional Campuses

This incoming class of students at UConn's main campus is slightly smaller than last year's — 3,650 compared to 3,800 — but contains a record number of high school valedictorians and salutatorians and a higher percentage of students in the top 10 percent of their class.

The class has a slightly lower percentage of minority students — down about one percentage point to 35.1 percent compared to last year's 36.3 percent — and more international students, up from 373 students to 510.

"We're proud to welcome such an extraordinary group of students to our campuses," President Susan Herbst said. "The UConn Class of 2021 is defined by their exceptional talent, ambition, and diversity. Our combination of academic strength and economic value continues to make UConn a top choice for outstanding students from throughout the state, nation, and world."

When classes begin on Monday, UConn expects about 23,850 undergraduates this year, with about 19,200 of those students based at Storrs.

This year, more students are choosing a campus other than Storrs. A significant development this year is the increasing number of first-year students choosing one of UConn's regional campuses — up from one quarter of freshmen in the fall of 2015 to one-third this year.

"Momentum in student interest is particularly notable across our regional campuses, where students have responded to the addition of housing in Stamford, and the opening of the new campus in downtown Hartford, in a very positive way," said UConn Admissions Director Nathan Fuerst.

"UConn has once again attracted a record number of Connecticut high school seniors to apply across all of UConn's campuses, and has done so in the face of a declining number of high school graduates in the state," he said.

On the Hartford campus, enrollment is up 14 percent compared to last year when the campus was in West Hartford, while in Stamford it's up 50 percent. In addition, enrollment is up about 24 percent at the Waterbury campus, which Fuerst said he expects is because of nearby privately-developed apartments available for students.

Fuerst said the size of this year's freshman class is down slightly compared to last year in recognition of the tight fiscal situation. Without the operational budget to hire more faculty, the university wants to make sure its ratio of faculty to students does not decline, he said.

Nearly three quarters of the incoming class are Connecticut natives, with 162 of the state's 169 towns and cities represented. Overall, 80 percent of undergraduates are from Connecticut.

The average SAT score for this year's freshmen at Storrs is 1,294 out of a possible 1,600 on the math and verbal tests. Fuerst said this year's test scores cannot be compared to last year's because the test has been changed dramatically.

The number of valedictorians and salutatorians at the Storrs campus edged up from 157 last year to 161 this year, while the percentage of students in the top 10 percent of their class went from 50 percent to 54 percent.

On Friday and over the weekend, the thousands of students moving into residence halls on the Storrs campus will find it a bit more logistically challenging than in the past. Friday is move-in day for first-year students on the Storrs campus.

North Eagleville Road, a main thoroughfare, is closed to any traffic entering the campus, though traffic can exit the campus using that road, because of construction.

Stephanie Reitz, a UConn spokeswoman, suggested that students and their families not use their GPS to get to campus because it will likely take them to the North Eagleville Road entrance.

Instead, she said families coming from I-84 should take a right at Route 44 — as directed by a sign — and follow it to Discovery Drive, a left, that will take them into campus.

If coming from the Willimantic direction on Route 195, she suggested taking Mansfield Road onto campus.

In addition, all traffic on Alumni Drive between Hillside Road and Hilltop Apartments is one-way.

Specifics on traffic restrictions can be found on UConn's residential life website. The website also contains information about how to sign up for a text messaging initiative allowing students and their families to receive updates about traffic conditions and delays.