Skip to main content

UNO Announces Fall 2024 Enrollment Data

Graduate, transfer, and out-of-state students drove another year of steady enrollment for UNO according to data released today by the Division of Institutional Effectiveness and Student Success (IESS). 

  • published: 2024/09/09
  • contact: Sam Peshek - UNO Office of Strategic Marketing and Communications
  • email: unonews@unomaha.edu
students on the first day of class

Mavericks on the first day of the Fall 2024 semester.

Highlights

  • Fall 2024 enrollment figures reflect a university-wide focus on workforce development and attracting new talent to the state.

  • A 12.9% increase in new transfer students and a 1.9% increase in total graduate students drove another steady year of enrollment.

  • UNO’s “OUR Tuition” program, which offers significantly reduced tuition for students in surrounding states, saw enrollment increases of 6.6% for undergraduate students and by 8.7% increase for graduate students.


Graduate, transfer, and out-of-state students drove another year of steady enrollment for the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) according to data released today by the Division of Institutional Effectiveness and Student Success (IESS).

UNO Chancellor Joanne Li, Ph.D., CFA said this year’s enrollment figures met expectations for recruitment, retention, and reflect a university-wide focus on workforce development and attracting new talent to the state. Last year’s rollout of a broken Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) process, which created uncertainty for students and families as they weighed their college decisions, contributed to an 11% decrease in FAFSA applications from Nebraska students compared to this time last year, according to a national FAFSA tracker.

"This year’s enrollment data demonstrates measurable progress in strengthening Nebraska’s workforce development pipeline,” Chancellor Li said. “By strategically cultivating in-state talent and attracting learners from neighboring states, we are addressing critical workforce needs and positioning the state for sustainable growth. Enrollment increases in high-priority areas are a clear indicator that our efforts are aligning with long-term economic objectives for Nebraska."

Overall, 14,972 students are enrolled at UNO for the Fall 2024 semester, which remained flat compared to Fall 2023’s 15,015 student headcount. Total undergraduate enrollment decreased slightly by 0.9%, while total graduate enrollment increased by 1.9%.

The Omaha Urban Rate (OUR) Tuition program, which launched in Fall 2023 to offer significantly reduced tuition to students in neighboring states, saw enrollment increases of 6.6% for undergraduate students and by 8.7% increase for graduate students. Currently, 863 undergraduate students and 213 graduate students from OUR Tuition states are enrolled at UNO.

The number of new transfer students increased from 939 students in Fall 2023 to 1,060 in Fall 2024 – a 12.9% jump.

UNO also made strides in minority student enrollment, with new first-time freshman minority students up 2.4%, new transfer minority students up 12.5%, and new graduate minority students up 20.9%. Overall, undergraduate minority student enrollment increased from 4,217 in Fall 2023 to 4,373 in Fall 2024 – a 3.7% jump. Similarly, graduate minority enrollment grew by 8.9% from 2023 to 2024.

While the total number of undergraduate resident students decreased by 1.1% from Fall 2023, the number of graduate residents increased by 5.6%.

The College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences and the College of Business Administration saw enrollment increases of 4.7% and 3.7%, respectively.