Tuition freeze, research rep credited

If enrollment is to academia what sales are to private industry, then business is booming at UVM.

The University of Vermont’s Class of 2025 is the largest and – school officials claim – academically best-prepared undergraduate cohort in the university’s 230-year history.

UVM attracted 38% more undergraduate applicants compared to last year, which resulted in more than 25,500 applications, a record high. The previous record was 25,275 in 2015. The new class—made up of 2,932 first-time, first-year undergraduate students—is the largest in UVM’s history.

Increased interest in UVM, coupled with a strong yield rate (the percentage of admitted students who choose to enroll), helps account for the new milestones. Enrollment broke previous records even though this year’s undergraduate admittance rate was about 8% lower than last year, the most selective rate in over 30 years.

“Like the best and most sought-after colleges and universities in the country, UVM saw higher than expected enrollment. We’re in good company in that regard,” said Vice Provost for Enrollment Management Jay Jacobs.

UVM’s Graduate School saw record-high applications to master’s and doctoral programs, up 22% over last year, resulting in the largest-ever entering cohort of grad students this fall.

The Larner College of Medicine—limited in size to 124 entering students each year—set a record for applications, up 28% over last year. More than 8,800 students applied to the MD program, allowing the college to accelerate its progress towards goals for diversity in all of its forms. The entering class includes students from 21 states.

“We believe that among the factors behind the surge is our commitment to keeping UVM affordable and accessible with a tuition freeze expected for a fourth consecutive year,” said Jacobs. “Other

If the recent past is a guide, the new undergraduate class will find academic and career success leading up to and following graduation. Based on the most recent available data, UVM reported its highest-ever graduation rate, 77% for the undergraduate class entering in 2015, placing the state flagship among the top 5% of public institutions in the U.S. For undergraduates who graduated between 2017 and 2019, 93% were employed or continuing their education within the first six months following graduation.