UNMC student enrollment sets record for 15th straight year

Student enrollment at the University of Nebraska Medical Center set another record high for the 15th straight year with 3,790 students enrolled for the 2015-16 school year, an increase of 94 students or 2.5 percent over last year's record of 3,696.

“The momentum in our enrollment reflects the interest Nebraskans have in serving their fellow citizens in this dynamic profession,” said Dele Davies, M.D., vice chancellor for academic affairs and dean of graduate studies. “Our programs continue to attract the best and brightest and the expansion of our quality nursing and allied health programs with the opening of our facility in Kearney will help address rural health care workforce shortages we are working hard to fill.”

Listed below are enrollment highlights from UNMC.

College of Dentistry

The College of Dentistry admitted 48 new dental students and 24 new dental hygiene students, bringing the total enrollment in the college to 272, which also includes post graduate students. The hometown demographic of the incoming dental class was 24 rural and 24 urban, and for dental hygiene it was 13 rural and 11 urban. The gender demographic of incoming dental students was 25 women and 23 men, and for dental hygiene it was 22 women and two men. There were 683 applications for 48 slots in this year’s dental class.

College of Medicine

There are 132 new medical students entering their first year of medical school, bringing the total enrollment to 503, which includes 35 enrolled in the M.D./Ph.D. Scholars Program. The new students, 83 percent of whom are Nebraska residents, were selected from a total of 1,838 applicants, one of the largest applicant pools in the last 21 years.

College of Nursing 2015

A total of 1,036 students are enrolled through the college’s five sites in Omaha, Lincoln, Kearney, Norfolk, and Scottsbluff. This reflects an overall increase of 7 percent for the bachelor of science degree in nursing (BSN) programs and a 5 percent increase for the master’s and doctoral programs. The increases are a result of expanded capacity in Kearney linked to the opening of the UNMC-UNK Health Science Education Complex, the continued expansion of the RN to BSN program, and the expansion of the doctor in nurse practitioner program. The college received 593 qualified BSN applications this year, an increase of 5 percent over last year’s applications. The college also received 211 applications for the master’s degrees and doctoral programs, an increase of 23 percent over last year.

College of Pharmacy

Sixty-four new students with an average GPA of 3.55 were accepted into the College of Pharmacy's doctor of pharmacy degree program. The new students bring the total enrollment in the four-year program to 238 students.

College of Public Health

Enrollment in the College of Public Health this fall is 181, which includes 154 students seeking master’s degrees, and 27 certificate and non-degree students in professional programs. This represents an almost 8 percent increase in enrollment over fall 2014. Enrollment in the College of Public Health’s campus and online programs continues to grow as students accept the challenge of making Nebraska the healthiest state in the union and a global model.

College of Allied Health Professions

For the 2015-16 academic year, there are 254 new students. Total enrollment in the school's traditional program is 565 students, a 3 percent increase over last year. The increase, in part, reflects the opening of the UNMC-UNK Health Science Education Complex in Kearney. On July 1, the former School of Allied Health Professions became the medical center's sixth college.

Graduate Studies

Enrollment in doctoral and master’s programs in graduate studies is 479. The Graduate College of the University of Nebraska is a system-wide college with programs administered on each of the four University of Nebraska campuses. As part of the system-wide Graduate College, the Graduate Studies programs at UNMC offer advanced instruction leading to master's and doctoral  degrees in health-related areas.

Munroe-Meyer Institute

Munroe-Meyer Institute provided interdisciplinary training, course work, and practicum experiences to 174 students in the 2014-2015 academic year. Trainees included 14 undergraduate students, 42 master's level students, 87 doctoral level interns, 14 post-doctoral fellows, and training for 17 other trainees, which include family members who serve as parent advocates to affect systems change such as working with the legislature and serving on community boards.

Enrollment at UNMC since 2000

Year    Enrollment

2000          2,695

2001          2,724

2002          2,819

2003          2,865

2004          2,904

2005          3,002

2006          3,067

2007          3,128

2008          3,194

2009          3,237

2010          3,493

2011          3,626

2012          3,655

2013          3,681

2014        3,696

2015        3,790

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