As the 2018-19 academic year begins, the University of Massachusetts class of 2022 ranks as the University’s most diverse and accomplished class yet.
According to UMass News and Media Relations, the entering class contains approximately 5,050 students, a seven percent increase over the class of 2021, which contained 4,714 students. Of the 5,050 students, about 3,530 are in-state, an increase of about 80 students compared to the class of 2021, making in-state students account for around 17,000 students, or 77 percent of the UMass student body.
Along with the increase in enrollment, the UMass class of 2022 constitutes a major increase in the diversity of the UMass population.
“This year’s incoming class is more diverse than past classes,” UMass News and Media Relations said in a press release. “The ALANA (African-American, Latino, Asian, Hawaiian/Pacific Islander and Native American) population will increase from about 30 percent to approximately 32 percent, and the underrepresented minority population will increase from about 16 percent to 17 percent. Half of the incoming class is female.”
In addition, the class of 2022 also boasts a variety of academic accomplishments, with the welcoming class having an average high school grade point average of 3.90 and average SAT score of 1294/1600.
According to a 2017 MassLive article, this is an increase from the class of 2021, when students averaged 1268 on their SATs and had a high school grade point average of 3.89.
In the Commonwealth Honors College, entering students brought an increase in academic prestige with an average GPA of 4.29 and average SAT score of 1409/1600.
UMass offers an Early Action admission program, where students are able to send in their applications early and get admission notifications in mid-December. The use of this program has been on the rise in recent years, and the trend has continued with the class of 2022.
According to the press release, “The number of students using the EA option has increased annually from about 8,000 applicants in 2009 to about 19,000 this year. Almost half of students apply through EA, 75 percent were admitted and more than 2,700 will enroll in the fall, representing 54 percent of the entering class.”
Along with the welcoming class, 1,140 transfer students have enrolled for the fall semester, a slight increase from the previous year. The average GPA among the entering transfer students is 3.38.
Of the 1,140 transfer students, 378 are community college graduates applying through the MassTransfer program. The program guarantees admission to Massachusetts community college students who complete a designated program with a GPA of 2.5 or above, according to the program’s website.
Chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy felt the increased academic success and diversity of the welcoming class is indicative of the university’s ability to recruit the top students.
Subbaswamy said, “UMass Amherst has increasingly become the destination of choice for the best and the brightest students, as evidenced by the impressive academic credentials of the Class of 2022.”
“The fact that, year over year, we’ve been able to attract increasingly well-prepared students while maintaining our commitment to diversity and accessibility is truly remarkable and speaks to the dedication to excellence of every member of our campus community,” he said.
Will Mallas can be reached at [email protected] and followed on Twitter @willmallas.
