University of Delaware applications reach record high

A total of 27,479 students and 3,886 in-state residents — both records — have applied to the University of Delaware for the 2017-18 academic year, the school has announced.

Nearly 30 percent of in-state applicants – a total of 1,141 – are from “underrepresented racial/ethnic groups,” the university said. The vast majority of those applicants are black or Hispanic, spokeswoman Andrea Boyle said. Of non-residents, 3,905 applicants were from underrepresented groups — also an all-time high — the school said.

The university school is aiming to have a freshman class of 4,250, up from about 3,900 the past several years. Overall, the university has received applications from students in 48 states and 101 foreign countries, officials said.

Doug Zander, executive director of admissions, said in a written statement that the boost in students seeking to attend the university is likely attributable to the success of graduates plus expanded teams of admissions counselors and alumni volunteers around the United States and the world.

In Delaware, the school is “committed to providing the residents of our state access to a first-class education at UD, and we’re thrilled with the opportunity to serve more Delawareans than ever before,” Zander said.

Of the in-state students who applied for next school year, 3,610 sought acceptance into a bachelor’s program at the main campus in Newark 267 who applied for the Associate in Arts Program offered on satellite campuses at Delaware Technical Community College and other locations.

Last year, of 3,756 Delawareans who applied to the university, 3,455 filed completed applications, school data shows. Of those applicants, 62 percent were offered admission to the Newark campus, and 32 percent to the associate’s program.

Half of the 3,248 offered admission to a UD program for the current year accepted — 1,217 at the Newark campus and 455 at UD satellites, school statistics show.