More than 5,000 new undergraduates call UWM home

MILWAUKEE_The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee is welcoming a growing student body this fall, with 5,056 new undergraduate students, including 3,903 first-year students and 1,153 transfer students. First-year student enrollment increased 0.7% over last year and is the university’s largest entering first-year class in 17 years, while transfer enrollment grew 4.5%. 

As of Sept. 8, overall enrollment now stands at 22,662, marking a 0.7% increase over last year and continuing UWM’s momentum in attracting and supporting students from Wisconsin and beyond.

“The strength of these enrollment numbers, particularly the continued growth in transfer enrollment, reflects our ongoing commitment to offering opportunities to students and supporting their success,” said UWM Chancellor Thomas Gibson. “We’re proud that more students are choosing UWM as their academic home and are confident that they will find the opportunities, support and experience they need to succeed.” 

UWM continues to strengthen its position as a destination campus for Wisconsin residents, with a 2.2% increase in Wisconsin resident undergraduate enrollment.  

The university’s Strategic Enrollment Management Plan is the most comprehensive to date and is helping drive enrollment growth through expanded student outreach, increased financial support and efforts to improve student success and retention.  

Key initiatives supporting enrollment growth include:

  • Expanded partnerships and outreach: UWM has strengthened relationships with community organizations, school districts and educational partners that help students explore college options and choose UWM. 
  • Enhanced communications: More personalized, timely and consistent communications have helped prospective students and their families better understand academic opportunities, campus life and available support services while reinforcing the UWM brand and helping them envision themselves as Panthers.  
  • Increased affordability and financial support:
    • Scholarship offers for 2026-27 increased 15% compared with 2025-26, to $30 million in scholarships; 46% of UWM students receive scholarships. 
    • The Milwaukee Tuition Promise supports around 1,300 students per school year by providing up to four years of tuition and segregated fees for students coming from families earning less than $62,000 annually. 
    • Increased FAFSA filing (up 24% over 2025) helped strengthen UWM’s affordability message and connect more students with the financial resources available to them. 

Despite national challenges such as declining high school graduation rates and reduced international enrollment, UWM continues to grow and remains focused on expanding access to higher education. 

Recognized nationally for excellence in research, student access and community engagement, UWM continues to serve a diverse student population and prepare graduates for meaningful careers. 

By the numbers

  • New first-year enrollment: 3,903, up 0.7% from 3,874 at this point last year 
  • New transfer enrollment: 1,153, up 4.5% from 1,103 at this point last year 
  • Undergraduate enrollment: 18,897, up 1.4% from 18,639 at this point last year 
  • Graduate enrollment: 3,768, down 2.5% from 3,865 at this point last year 
  • Wisconsin resident undergraduate enrollment: 16,828, up 2.2% from 16,471 at this point last year 

Numbers are preliminary based on enrollments reported on Sept. 8, by UWM’s Office of Assessment & Institutional Research. The official 10th day enrollment figures are expected to increase slightly, due to additional dual enrollment numbers, and will be released later this fall.

About UWM
The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee has an ambitious mission as both a top-tier research university and an access institution, striving to ensure that students have equitable opportunities to earn a college degree. UWM educates a diverse student body of approximately 23,000 students from 83 countries. About 43% of its undergraduates are first-generation college students. Its unique and top-rated programs include Wisconsin’s only accredited schools of architecture and public health, the only North American school dedicated solely to freshwater sciences and a film program ranked among the top 30 in the world. It has the largest and top-rated online education program in Wisconsin. UW-Milwaukee partners with leading companies to conduct joint research, promote entrepreneurship, provide student internships and serve as an economic engine for southeastern Wisconsin. The Princeton Review named UW-Milwaukee a 2026 “Best Midwestern” university based on overall academic excellence and student reviews.