LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The University of Kentucky reached several historic milestones this semester, including a record enrollment and a record graduation rate.
UK President Eli Capilouto said in a news release Friday that this fall's first-year class comprises almost 6,500 students, up about 400 from last year.
The campus has more than 34,000 students overall, which is up from about 28,000 in 2010.
"Over the last decade, because of the work of thousands of faculty and staff and the commitment and capacity of our students, we have rapidly accelerated the success rate of students – even as we continued to grow enrollment. Kentucky is rightly demanding of us a larger and even more skilled workforce to meet the needs of a complex and competitive economy," Capilouto said in a news release. "To do that, we must educate and graduate even more students, in fields responsive to local and global workforce needs – students who have the skills to solve problems, work in teams, communicate effectively and think deeply and broadly about challenges."
Capilouto said UK also hit a record level of students returning for their second year of college and saw increases in the graduation rate, putting it among the best in the country.
Below are seven other benchmarks UK touted:
- Six-year graduation rates have increased by more than 12 percentage points since the class of 2010; four-year graduation rates have increased by 27 percentage points in that same time and five-year rates have increased by 17 percentage points.
- The 70% graduation rate, according to the most recent data, places UK among the top 100 public institutions in the country that grant primarily bachelor’s degrees or higher.
- Second fall retention – the success rate for students returning for their second year of college – also reached a record level of 87 percent, according to preliminary numbers.
- Nearly 6,500 first-year students are enrolled at UK this fall, about 400 more than last year. UK’s first-year enrollment exceeds 6,000 for the second year in a row. In fall 2010, the first-year enrollment was a little more than 4,300.
- Overall, UK has grown from a little more than 28,000 students in fall 2010 to more than 34,000 in fall 2023; UK also has more than 24,000 undergraduates for the first time.
- Nearly 17 percent of students enrolled are from underrepresented populations, an increase in both number and percentage over last year. This continues an upward trend in underrepresented student enrollment that has produced more than 1,400 credentials earned by students of color in 2022-23, a 251 percent increase since 2010-11. In addition, nearly 19 percent of UK’s first-year students are from underrepresented populations.
- Additionally, about 25 percent of first-year students are "first gen" students – meaning they will be the first in their families to graduate from college, a number that continues to increase as well.
To see the full details of Capilouto's report, click here.
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