For the sixth straight year, student enrollment at the University of Nebraska Medical Center set a record high with 3,486 students enrolled for the 2010-11 school year — an increase of 7.7 percent over last year’s previous record total of 3,237.
Increases occurred in all three levels of study. Undergraduate enrollment went from 811 to 958. Graduate enrollment gained from 708 to 717. Professional enrollment attained the largest increase with the addition of 93 students, taking the total from 1,718 to 1,811. The biggest percentage increase took place in the College of Nursing, where enrollment climbed 41 percent in its post-master’s certificate in nursing program.
Rubens Pamies, M.D., vice chancellor for academic affairs and dean of graduate studies, said the steady increase in enrollment at UNMC is part of a plan.
“Our strategy will be to continue to expand the number of highly qualified applicants from across Nebraska, particularly in light of the passage of the health care reform bill, which has highlighted the shortage of health professionals,” Dr. Pamies said. “UNMC has seen a significant increase in its enrollment. This is not surprising given our state-of-the-art facilities and the other new buildings that soon will be opening, along with our outstanding nationally recognized programs and faculty.”
Listed below are enrollment highlights for 2010-11 for each of UNMC’s colleges, the School of Allied Health Professions and the Munroe-Meyer Institute.
College of Dentistry
The College of Dentistry brought in 47 first-year dental students as well as 24 new dental hygiene students, said Dean John Reinhardt, D.D.S. The new students bring total enrollment in the college to 268, including 39 graduate and post graduate students. This year’s GPA for entering dentistry students is 3.79. Dr. Reinhardt noted that there were 975applicants for the 47 slots in this year’s dental class. The entering dental hygiene class had a 3.55 GPA.
College of Medicine
The 132 students in the College of Medicine’s class of first-year students brings total enrollment in the college to 497. The first-year students were selected from a total of 1,446 applications — one of the largest number of applications received by the medical school in the past 16years, said Rod Markin, M.D., Ph.D., interim dean of the College of Medicine.
College of Nursing
A total of 1,148 students across all nursing programs and campuses are enrolled this fall, said Virginia Tilden, D.N.Sc., dean of the College of Nursing. The college received 588 qualified applicants this year in the baccalaureate in nursing program for 297 slots in the college’s locations in Omaha, Lincoln, Kearney and Scottsbluff — an admission rate of 50 percent. The incoming students’ GPA is 3.5 based on the students’ first two years of college.
College of Pharmacy
Forty-three new students with a mean GPA of 3.50 were accepted into the College of Pharmacy’s Doctor of Pharmacy degree (Pharm.D.) program. The new students bring the total enrollment in the four-year Pharm.D. program to 237 students, said Courtney Fletcher, Pharm.D., dean of the college.
College of Public Health
Enrollment in the College of Public Health this fall is 111, which includes 30 doctoral students, and 71 master’s degree in public health students (MPH) and 10 certificate of public health students, said Ayman El-Mohandes, M.B.B.Ch., M.D., M.P.H., dean of the College of Public Health. In addition, this year, 131 applicants applied to the college, amounting to more than double, compared to 60 last year.
School of Allied Health Professions
Kyle Meyer, Ph.D., dean of the School of Allied Health Professions, said enrollment for the school is 375 students. For the 2010-11 academic year, the school admitted180new students in its 11 programs. There were779applicants, which represents an increase in applicants of 14.4 percent over last year.
Munroe-Meyer Institute
MMI provided interdisciplinary training and practicum experiences to 167students in the 2009-2010academic year, said Mike Leibowitz, Ph.D., director of the UNMC Munroe-Meyer Institute. Trainees included 10 undergraduate students, 36master’s level students, 62 doctoral level interns, and 59post-doctoral fellows.
Through world-class research and patient care, UNMC generates breakthroughs that make life better for people throughout Nebraska and beyond. Its education programs train more health professionals than any other institution in the state. Learn more at unmc.edu.
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