September 11, 2009

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) has reached its largest enrollment in the school's 40-year history, as freshman enrollment grew by 19 percent, and graduate student enrollment hit its largest number ever.

Total fall 2009 enrollment at UAB increased by 4.5 percent over the previous year, up from 16,149 to 16,874. For federal reporting purposes, that number does not include the university's advanced professional students; the total enrollment for fall 2009 including that part of the student body is 18,047.

Freshman class enrollment also saw a jump of 19 percent, up from 1,277 to 1,517. Graduate enrollment increased by 9 percent, from 4,755 to 5,193. In addition, UAB has its largest number ever of students living on campus, more than 2,000.

"At a university known for breakthroughs, our record enrollment is yet another," said UAB President Carol Garrison. "We are so pleased that students recognize the opportunities we offer not only for an outstanding classroom education, but for the many experiences we provide that round out that education.

"UAB offers students the chance to collaborate with world-renown researchers as early as their freshmen year, and to participate in hands-on learning in many other ways," Garrison said. "Combine that with the real-world diversity that our students have told us they truly appreciate, and you get a university experience that provides great value across the board."

About UAB

UAB is a young, dynamic university that has, over four decades, won international recognition for its leading-edge research, health care and academic programs. Known for its innovative and interdisciplinary approach to education at both the graduate and undergraduate levels, UAB is ranked among the top 15 percent of all U.S. universities (and third in the "diverse student population" category) by The Princeton Review. 

Undergraduate programs range from the sciences and math, to business and engineering, to the arts and humanities, and offer unrivaled research and scholarship opportunities in a highly interdisciplinary environment. As part of UAB's Quality Enhancement Plan that focuses on writing, quantitative literacy, and ethics and civic responsibility, students experience a coherent educational program from their First Year Experience to a capstone in their major. Special opportunities are available through a range of program options within the UAB Honors Academy. Students are active participants in the university's robust research enterprise that attracts more than $400 million annually in external research funding and is consistently among the top 25 in funding from the National Institutes of Health. UAB is the state's largest single employer with more than18,000 employees and an economic impact of $3.6 billion on Alabama.

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