Oakland welcomes largest undergraduate class in university history

Oakland University has reported a 1.7 percent increase in fall 2011 student enrollment, which marks the 14th consecutive year of enrollment growth.

The university now serves a population of 19,379 students, including those enrolled in the newly opened Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine. Oakland officials attribute this trend to growing recognition of the university's academic programs, as well as efforts to keep them accessible to a broad base of students.

"This enrollment increase reaffirms that quality academic programs taught by world-class faculty have made Oakland University a first-choice among our student population," said Oakland President Gary Russi.

"More importantly, students' growing reliance on higher education to build a more prosperous future shows that they are ready to meet and exceed the demands of the state's rapidly evolving economic base."

As part of the continued enrollment growth, OU welcomed a record 1,891 new transfer students this fall, and its 15,838 undergraduate population is the largest in university history. In addition, a 17 percent surge in new graduate student enrollment was driven not only by the new medical school, but also by significant increases in other doctoral and professional development students.

With its overall student population steadily rising, OU continues to expand its presence in Macomb County. The opening of the new Anton/Frankel Center this fall helped raise the total enrollment at the university's Macomb locations to 1,367 students, a 22 percent increase over 2010 figures.

To learn more about the wide array of academic programs Oakland offers, visit oakland.edu.