UNMC student enrollment sets record for 14th straight year

Student enrollment at the University of Nebraska Medical Center set a record high for the 14th straight year with 3,696 students enrolled for the 2014-15 school year, an increase of 15 over last year's record of 3,681.

“Our continued growth reflects increasing demand and our ongoing response in meeting the needs for certain types of health-related training by students from Nebraska, across the U.S. and around the world,” said Dele Davies, M.D., vice chancellor for academic affairs and dean of graduate studies.

Dr. Davies said this year UNMC added a master’s degree in clinical anatomy and completed the first year of a new training program in biomedical informatics.

Listed below are enrollment highlights from UNMC.

Graduate Studies

Enrollment in doctoral and master’s programs in graduate studies increased by 6 percent, going from 474 in 2013 to 503.  

College of Dentistry

The College of Dentistry admitted 48 new dental students as well as 24 new dental hygiene students, bringing the enrollment in the college to 274, including 36 graduate and post graduate students. This year’s GPA for entering dentistry students was 3.74 and the entering dental hygiene class had a 3.55 GPA. There were 781 applicants for 48 slots in this year’s dental class.

College of Medicine

There are 130 new medical students entering their first year of medical school, bringing the total enrollment to 509, with 34 enrolled in the M.D./Ph.D. program. The new students were selected from a total of 1,612 applicants, one of the largest applicant pools in the last 20 years.

College of Nursing

A total of 1,015 students are enrolled in undergraduate, graduate and doctoral nursing programs, in Omaha, Lincoln, Kearney, Scottsbluff and Norfolk which is an overall increase of 2 percent over 2013. The college received 561 qualified applicants this year for 412 slots in its bachelor’s degree in nursing programs. The college also received 171 applications for the 100 slots in the master’s degree in nursing and post master’s certificate programs.

College of Pharmacy

Fifty-five new students with a GPA 3.51 of were accepted into the College of Pharmacy's Doctor of Pharmacy degree program. The new students bring the total enrollment in the four-year program to 235 students.

College of Public Health

Enrollment in the College of Public Health this fall is 234, which includes 57 doctoral students, 144 master's students, and 33 certificate and non-degree program students. This represents a five percent increase in enrollment over fall 2013. Enrollment in the College of Public Health’s campus and online programs continues to grow as students accept the challenge of making Nebraska the healthiest state in the union and a global model.

School of Allied Health Professions

For the 2014-15 academic year, there are 228 new students. Total enrollment in the school's traditional program is 397 students, and 175 students are enrolled through distance education degree programs.

In addition to student enrollment, Munroe-Meyer Institute provided interdisciplinary training, course work, and practicum experiences to 157 students in the 2013-2014 academic year. Trainees included 18 undergraduate students, 28 master's level students, 78 doctoral level interns, 25 post-doctoral fellows, and training for eight other students, which include two family members who serve as parent advocates to affect systems change such as working with the legislature and serving on community boards.

Enrollment at UNMC since 2000

Year    Enrollment

2000          2,695

2001          2,724

2002          2,819

2003          2,865

2004          2,904

2005          3,002

2006          3,067

2007          3,128

2008          3,194

2009          3,237

2010          3,493

2011          3,626

2012          3,655

2013          3,681

2014        3,696

Through world-class research and patient care, UNMC generates  breakthroughs that make life better for people throughout Nebraska and beyond. Its education programs train more health professionals than any other institution in the state. Learn more at unmc.edu.