(Edmonton) The University of Alberta started its 103rd year of classes Sept. 7 with 38,500 students walking the five campuses that make up the institution.
According to Gerry Kendal, the U of A registrar, this class started out with 8,400 new students chosen from more than 20,000 applicants, of which, 5,300 were admitted directly from high school, the highest number yet.
"At a time when people are concerned about an aging population and changing demographics, the increase in high-school applicants really reflects great recruiting in the faculties and here," said Kendal. "It says the university is still attracting high-school students, which is very good."
The total number of undergraduate students attending the U of A for the 2011-12 academic year will be just over 31,000, while the number of graduate students will be close to 7,400. Also, females will account for about 55 per cent of the overall student body this year, which Kendal says is well within the national average.
He adds that the university is headed for a population of 74 per cent population who have a Alberta home address, with 4,700 international students attending, which is up by about 400 over last year.
"These numbers reflect the cachet of the university," said Kendal. "People really want to come to this place."