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Friday, March 29, 2024
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Freshman anatomy: A breakdown of UB’s Class of 2022

Class size and diversity continues to grow

UB’s Class of 2022 is the university’s largest and most diverse class to date.

This year’s freshman class of 4,166 students is the largest in the SUNY system, according to UB spokesperson John DellaContrada. Freshman applications have increased by 11.7 percent in the last year, as the university received 30,793 total applications –– 27,643 domestic and 3,150 international.

The university has significantly grown its freshman class every year, which has made it more selective, accepting only 55.9 percent of 2018 applicants versus 59 percent in 2016.

UB is ranked No. 97 in national universities and No. 108 for best value schools, according to U.S. News. UB is also nationally ranked No. 41 in public colleges.

The official enrollment total for freshman students will be counted in the coming weeks, according to Lee Melvin, vice provost for enrollment.

Compared to previous years, the Class of 2022 includes less students from downstate and an increase in local students. Thirty-nine percent of freshmen are from the Metropolitan area of New York. Twenty-seven percent are from Western New York, 23 percent are from other parts of New York, eight percent are international and three percent are out-of-state.

As the university becomes more competitive, the Office of Undergraduate Admissions is requiring incoming freshman to provide higher GPAs and test scores. The average high school GPA for the Class of 2022 is 91.8. The average ACT score is 27 and the average SAT score is 1241.

UB’s Honors College enrolled 354 students this year, an increase of 61 students compared to the Class of 2021.

As of Sept. 9, 2.6 percent of students are two or more races, 0.2 percent are American Indian or Alaska Native, 18.8 percent are Asian, 8.6 percent are Black or African American, 7.7 percent are Hispanic, 7.7 percent are international, 0.02 percent are Native Hawaii, 49 percent are White and 5.4 percent are unknown or unreported, according to Melvin.

DellaContrada said “recruiting minority students is a priority” for the admissions office, which has a team specifically responsible for bringing minority students to campus. Compared to last year, there is more diversity in freshman and transfer applicants, admitted students and enrolled students, he said.

The team focuses on leading minority efforts and initiatives by working with the entire office to “convey diverse messages and market to minority students,” according to Melvin. The university tried increasing enrollment through visiting high schools, community-based organizations and hosting programs to share minority students’ experiences outside.

Students said they appreciate the diversity of the Class of 2022.

David Landau, a freshman accounting major said he’s excited to make new friends and learn about the different walks of life that make UB diverse.

“I like the size of UB to be honest. Even though it’s a big school, you can make it small in your own way,” Landau said. “Even with the big classes you can make the classes small with a few friends. I love [how many] different [ethnicities we have on campus] because it shows that UB has so many different people coming from different places. Coming from New York City, it’s a treat for me to still have this diversity.”

Other students are proud to call themselves a part of UB’s largest freshman class.

Noah Wichlacz, a freshman biomedical engineering major, said he’s excited to be in Buffalo during its current renaissance. The Hamburg native said the opening of the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, a historic run in March Madness and the Bulls’ impressive start to the football season made him choose UB instead of an out-of-state school.

He said he’s happy to be surrounded by other students looking to take full advantage of the resources on campus. He’s especially excited to learn about different ethnicities and cultures he wasn’t exposed to growing up in Buffalo.

“I think it’s an awesome place to see how diverse the world is and see a view from everyone else’s standpoint,” Wichlacz said. “Campus is really so different than the rest of the city. There’s so many different countries that are represented that all have different ideas and traditions. I can’t wait to meet new people.”

Max Kalnitz is the senior news editor and can be reached at max.kalnitz@ubspectrum.com

@Max_Kalnitz

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