It’s a new semester at the University of North Florida, where fall classes are underway for more than 17,000 students, and the numbers are just in: UNF has admitted the smartest and largest incoming freshman class in the University’s history.
About 2,500 of those students are incoming freshman, who make up one of the most academically talented first-year classes. UNF’s fall freshman have an estimated high school grade point average of 4.31.
“This academic year, we received another phenomenal freshman class,” said UNF President David Szymanski. “Our beautiful campus was the first school of choice for these high-achieving, focused students who are eager to learn.”
This fall semester has also had the largest incoming freshman class ever, nearly 7 percent larger than last year, with a new record high in full-time equivalent students, almost 4 percent higher from last fall. This freshman class also has set a new high in the number of credit hours attempted, nearly 4 percent higher over last fall semester.
UNF increased efforts to working with students in underserved populations. As a result, more than 5,200 students have been awarded Pell Grants, a substantial 26 percent increase over last fall. UNF is committed to affordability by awarding $114 million in financial aid annually to its students. Overall, about half of all UNF students receive financial aid.
According to new statistics from LendEDU, UNF is ranked No. 59 when it comes to lowest student loan debt out of more than 1,000 public and private colleges and universities in the country. The University is ranked the 29th lowest when compared to public colleges and universities, confirming that UNF is a great value, allowing graduates to start their professional careers without the more significant financial burdens of their counterparts at other institutions.
Here are some interesting facts about the freshman accepted at UNF this fall semester:
- This class includes students from 56 Florida counties, 23 states or U.S. territories.
- After Florida, the states with the most freshman are Georgia, North and South Carolina, New York and Puerto Rico.
- This incoming freshman class has 19 international students, with a majority coming from Brazil and Venezuela.
- Fifty-eight percent of the new freshman class are female, while 42 percent are male.
- Overall, 1 in five UNF students are first in their families to attend college; approximately 21 percent of this year’s incoming freshman are first generation college students.
UNF students are also seeing the benefit of small class sizes, with a student-to-faculty ratio of 18 to 1 and the benefit of personalized attention that can’t be found at larger universities. Students also have the chance to participate in transformational learning opportunities or TLOs, which range from undergraduate research projects and internships to study abroad and community projects. As a result, UNF students travel abroad at twice the national average.
“Providing students with seamless classroom experiences and hands-on learning are hallmarks of a UNF education, and there’s no question that the level of experience and opportunities afforded to our undergraduate students set us apart from other schools,” said Szymanski.
Additionally, UNF tops the schools in the State University System when it comes to graduates being gainfully employed in Florida, with the average graduate salary being 22.7 percent above the national median.
