UMN College of Science and Engineering welcomes largest undergraduate class in history

25 new faculty also join the college

MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (11/10/2023) — Recently released enrollment numbers show that the University of Minnesota College of Science and Engineering (CSE) welcomed the largest incoming first-year class in history in fall 2023, as it heads for undergraduate growth of 20 percent by 2028 to meet increasing workforce needs. 

The enrollment of 1,569 first-year students represents an almost 9 percent increase from last year—and includes jumps in underrepresented students and international population. 

The first-year class included 452 women, an all-time high number. About 10 percent of the incoming class is international students, an increase from 8.4 percent in fall 2022. BIPOC students make up about 35 percent of the incoming class.

Overall, CSE undergraduate enrollment in fall 2023 was 5,819 students, also a record. To meet the growing demand, CSE added 25 new faculty members in 2023-24 and is well on its way to adding 60 faculty in three years.

“We’re hearing from our employer partners locally and nationally that they need more science and engineering graduates to meet their high tech workforce demands,” said David Blank, CSE associate dean for undergraduate programs. “We are responding to that need to build that pipeline into the future.”

CSE also increased its graduate student enrollment to 2,622 this fall, the highest number since 2018. The graduate student population also saw increases in the number of women students to 30 percent, the highest ever. The number of international students also increased to the highest level since fall 2017.

Overall campus first-year student enrollment at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities topped 6,700 students. The University also enrolled 1,600 new transfer students. Twin Cities campus undergraduate enrollment was just over 30,000 and graduate student enrollment hit 11,233.