Enrollment Update and Student Demographics
CASNR undergraduate enrollment increased 3.2% (73 students) to 2340 [2332 at UNL and 8 at UNO (5 pre-agricultural sciences, 2 pre-horticulture, and 1 pre-natural resources]. This is the sixth consecutive all-time high CASNR undergraduate enrollment (previously 2267 enrolled in 2015). UNL undergraduate enrollment increased 3.2% (+651: 20,182 to 20,833).
Total UNL enrollment (undergraduate, graduate and professional) is 25,897; a 2.5% increase from the previous Fall.
UNL increased 637 students in Fall-16 (undergraduate, graduate and professional). The CASNR undergraduate enrollment increased 73 (CASNR/UNO). Biochemistry in the College of Arts and Sciences decreased 11 students. Agricultural Engineering decreased 6 students (including one Pre-AGEN at UNO) and Biological Systems Engineering in the College of Engineering increased 4 in Pre-BSEN at UNO. The Professional Program in Veterinary Medicine decreased 2 students and the Doctor of Plant Health program decreased 1 student. The graduate student enrollment in departments and programs within CASNR increased 31 to 692. The total CASNR enrollment (undergraduate, graduate and professional) for Fall 2016 is 3,570.
This is the Twelfth consecutive year that the College has had an increase in undergraduate enrollment.
2005 3.44% (1st)* 42 students (1st)
2006 3.1% (2nd) 39 students (3rd)
2007 11.7% (1st) 152 students (1st)
2008 12.9% (1st) 187 students (1st)
2009 7.1% (2nd) 116 students (3rd)
2010 7.1% (2nd) 124 students (2nd)
2011 3.0% (2nd) 56 students (3rd)
2012 3.7% (3rd) 71 students (2nd)
2013 5.2% (2nd) 105 students (2nd)
2014 6.6% (3rd) 140 students (3rd)
2015 0.6% (4th) 13 students (5th)
2016 3.2% (2nd) 73 students (3rd)
* UNL Rank
The number of students graduating (December 2015, May 2016 and August 2016) was down 32 graduates from the previous year [517 to 485 (6.2% decrease)].
First-time student (new UNL/CASNR freshman, including UNO) enrollment increased from 460 to 482 (+4.8%) (UNL increased 5.0%). The degree programs with the largest class of new freshmen (UNL, including UNO) were Animal Science (63), Agribusiness (53), Pre-veterinary Medicine (52), Integrated Science (44), Forensic Science (40) and Fisheries and Wildlife (40). Nebraska residents were 69.7% (336/482) of first-time freshmen.
The student population (UNL/CASNR and UNO; 2340) is 53.9% male (1262) and 46.1% female (1078) (a significant increase in females). Nebraska residents comprise 78.1% of our total student population (1828/2340) (1828 list Nebraska, 366 list other states, 124 are international and 22 are unreported).
The top five degree programs based on CASNR enrollment are: Animal Science (338), Agribusiness (241), Agronomy (191), Fisheries and Wildlife (191) and Agricultural Economics (132). Biochemistry has a total enrollment of 268 (97-CASNR, 171- CAS).
Areas of growth (degree programs/pre-program with at least 25 students in 2015) include Microbiology (+46.2%); Biochemistry (+19.8%); Environmental Studies (+15.3%); Forestry, Fisheries and Wildlife (+12.4%) and Agricultural Education (+10.8%).
Areas of declining enrollment (degree programs with at least 25 students in 2015) include Horticulture (-16.9%), PGA Golf Management (-10.9%), Agronomy (-9.9%) Food Science and Technology (-6.7%) and Hospitality, Restaurant and Tourism Management (-5.3%).
The total College undergraduate enrollment (include shared programs with other colleges) is 2821 (+2.2% increase over last fall): 171 Biochemistry [-11 (-6.0.0%)] in the College of Arts and Sciences; 61 Agricultural Engineers [-5 (-7.6%)] and 249 Biological Systems Engineers [+4 (+1.6%) (241 at UNL and 8 at UNO)] in the College of Engineering.
New transfer students (UNL/CASNR, including UNO) increased 9 from last year to 125 (+7.8%). The UNL degree programs with the largest class of new transfer students were Animal Science (15), Agribusiness (14), Agronomy (12), Fisheries and Wildlife Management (11), and Applied Science (8). There are 11 international transfer students (Rwanda (5), Malaysia (2), Burkina Faso (1), China (1), Indonesia (1), Mexico (1); 96 Nebraska residents; and 18 out-of-state students (or no state declared) representing 10 states. Eight of the 18 transfer students were from Big Ten states.
New transfer students represent 20.6% (125/607) of first-time students (UNL/CASNR and UNO).
The College increased in non-resident students (+13.0%) (includes both CASNR and UNO). About twenty percent (20.4% ) of our total undergraduates (UNL/CASNR and UNO) are non-resident students (477/2340). The College has 38 states represented in addition to Nebraska. Our largest feeder states are Minnesota (48), Illinois (39), Kansas (33), California (32), Colorado (28) and Iowa (28).
Programs with the largest non-resident enrollment are Forensic Science (60 students), Integrated Science (56 students) Animal Science (53 students), PGA Golf Management (37 students), and Food Science and Technology (36 students).
The Big Ten States [Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Maryland, and New Jersey] accounted for 6.8% (158/2340) of our total undergraduate enrollment and 5.6% (27/482) of our first-time freshmen in Fall 2016. Last fall the same states accounted for 6.4% (145/2267) of total undergraduate enrollment and 7.2% (33/460) of our first time freshman.
Graduate student enrollment on the sixth-day census increased 4.7% from Fall 2015 to Fall 2016 in CASNR units (661 to 692 enrolled graduate students).
Fall student credit hour (SCH) production in CASNR increased 0.6% (255 SCH: 40,229 to 40,484). The University increased 2.6% (8,070 SCH: 313,056 to 321,126).
The Fall 2016 incoming CASNR class (freshmen and transfer students, including UNO) increased 5.1% from last fall (576 to 607).
The average ACT score for ALL new freshmen in CASNR programs [UNL, COE (Agricultural Engineering and Biological Systems Engineering), and CAS (Biochemistry)] is 25.3 compared to 25.2 for UNL.
The student population (UNL/CASNR and UNO; 2340) is 86.12% White-Non Hispanic (2014); 1.07% Asian (25); 0.81% Black-Non Hispanic (19); 3.46% Hispanic (81); 0.26% American Indian/Alaska Native (6); and 1.79% Two or More Races (42). The minority student population as a percent of the total undergraduate College enrollment is 7.5% (175/2340), does not include ‘non-resident alien’(124) and ‘unknown’(27).
Part-time students comprise 6.5% of the total undergraduate (UNL/CASNR and UNO) students (151/2340).
International students (resident and non-resident) comprise 5.3% (124 students) of the total CASNR and UNO enrollment. They represent 16 countries. Students from Rwanda represent 45.2% (56/124) of our international students. The Integrated Science degree program has the largest international student enrollment (56).
The CASNR (including UNO) undergraduate student population based on class standing is: 569 freshmen (first-time and other), 424 Sophomores, 631 Juniors and 716 Seniors (includes 2nd degree senior). Approximately 42.4% of our students are classified as underclassmen and 57.6% are upperclassmen.