A look into Fall 2025 enrollment

Faculty engagement efforts, need-based scholarships and admissions outreach programs with high schools have led to enrollment gains for UM-Dearborn's newest class. First-year student enrollment is up 2%, to 1,138 students, making the Class of 2029 the second-largest class in university history. The university's full-time equivalent enrollment - a good measure of financial health - is up 1% over last year.

"This is the third year in a row - and only the third time in the university's history - that we welcomed more than 1,100 new first-year undergraduate students," said Vice Provost for Enrollment Management Melissa Stone. "The largest class was in Fall 2023. This year is a very close second." The academic profile of UM-Dearborn's first-year students is the fourth highest among the state's public universities, with a 3.7 average high school GPA.

Even with this positive news, Stone said there are areas to watch closely. Total headcount this fall is 8,005 overall, with 6,199 undergraduates and 1,806 graduate students, a 1% decline from Fall 2024. Transfer enrollment is also down by 3%, after an initial upward trend. The Admissions team will be following up with students who registered and then dropped to learn what changed their decision and a working group will address the findings.

Most significantly, 144 expected international students were unable to enroll due to federal travel bans and more stringent visa-vetting processes. This equates to a 44% decline in new international students. These students are largely graduate students, so this has contributed to a 26% drop in new graduate student enrollment.

"The reality is that the international interest in UM-Dearborn is strong. Students deposited at higher rates and they want to come here, but many couldn't secure visas by fall due to limited appointment availability," Stone said. The university's Office of International Affairs is staying in touch with students, getting updates on their visa status, answering questions and providing support, she added. The message: You are welcome here and we are partners in this process.

While there is hope that international enrollment will rebound, the university is pursuing multiple avenues to attract more domestic students, both undergraduate and graduate, Stone explained. These include expanding quality online offerings and creating additional transfer pathways, like a recently launched 2+ 2 partnership with Jackson College for aspiring elementary-school teachers. She said the university will also build on the successful strategies that led to strong new undergraduate enrollment this year. Those include:

• Scholarships.For the Fall 2025 first-year class, at least 50% of students will pay no tuition, thanks to financial aid packaging that includes UM-Dearborn's Go Blue Guaranteeand the state's Michigan Achievement Scholarship. The U-M Board of Regents raised the GBG income limit to $125,000 starting in Fall 2025. Preliminary data shows that this resulted in approximately 1,300 students receiving the full-tuition scholarship, up from 1,100 last year, an 18% increase.
  
• Faculty outreach. Faculty members welcomed interested students through initiatives like writing personalized postcard messages and question-and-answer sessions where they hosted Zoom meetings so potential students could ask major-specific questions. "Our faculty stepped up and volunteered to take part in recruitment pilot programs, and we thank them," Stone says. "We've seen that it's impactful to students when making their decisions."
  
• Dual enrollment with high schools.UM-Dearborn has developed new partnerships with high schoolsin Detroit, Ferndale and Grosse Ile, adding to the number of dual-enrolled students.

Along with the enrollment numbers, the new data shows that UM-Dearborn's six-year graduation rate is 60% - an increase of 3% over last year and the highest six-year graduation rate in university history. "We have strong students who are here to succeed, and faculty and staff who are giving their all to help these students reach their dreams," Stone observed. "I'm proud of the work done at UM-Dearborn and throughout the state to better connect students with ways to make college accessible and put students on a pathway to future success."

The most recent Department of Education College Scorecarddata shows that UM-Dearborn graduates' earnings are the fourth highest among graduates of the 15 Michigan public universities, while the average annual cost to attend is the lowest. The university also was designated an "Opportunity University" by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the American Council on Education, a classification based on an institution's affordability for lower-income students as well as those students' future earnings. Datashows UM-Dearborn Pell-eligible students go on to earn a median income of $57,847, while median earnings in the region are $37,232.

"A college degree is the most valuable asset a young person can obtain," said Interim Chancellor Gabriella Scarlatta."I commend our faculty and staff for all their hard work to attract the university's second-largest first-year class and drive an increase in full-time equivalent enrollment. We will continue to work diligently and proactively to bring more students to UM-Dearborn, including the international students who very much deserve to be here. And we will celebrate our many milestones - including our continued growth in students graduating into rewarding careers."

See additional Fall 2025 student profile and trends.

Story by Kristin Palm and Sarah Tuxbury

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