UNH Today

They come from 37 states and 19 countries, and they’re passionate about subjects as diverse as psychology and mechanical engineering. And if you aren’t sure of their names, the most popular are Emily and Matthew.

Meet the 3,126 undergraduate students who arrived on campus in Durham and Manchester at the end of August as UNH’s class of 2021. The members of this latest pack of Wildcats are already beginning to make their mark academically: The class of 2021 includes 14 valedictorians along with 368 students whose high schools reported they were in the top 10 percent of their graduating classes.

For the second year, UNH has seen an increase in New Hampshire students enrolling, with 1,327 in the class of 2021, up five percent over last year, along with an increase in multicultural students from the Granite State, who represent slightly more than 11 percent of incoming New Hampshire students. The class also boasts 35 Hamel Scholars, 35 Peter T. Paul Scholars and an average GPA of 3.46. 

“We’re not only seeing an increase in the number of in-state students, but more of the state’s best and brightest are choosing to attend UNH,” says Victoria Dutcher, vice president for enrollment management. “We remain committed to ensuring a UNH education is affordable and accessible to Granite State residents.” To those ends, the class of 2021 includes more than 400 students who are recipients of UNH’s new Granite Guarantee, which allows full-time, first-year New Hampshire students receiving federal Pell grants to attend UNH tuition-free.

Of this new class, 1,031 students are members of the College of Liberal Arts, where their most popular declared majors include psychology, political science, communication and music education.

The next largest number of new Wildcats are enrolled in the Peter T. Paul College of Business and Economics, where 652 members of the Class of 2021 enrolled. The most popular majors include business administration, hospitality and economics.

A total of 510 first-year students enrolled in the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences, with the most popular declared majors including mechanical engineering, computer science, civil engineering and chemical engineering.

At the College of Life Sciences and Agriculture, 478 members of the class of 2021 enrolled, with medical and veterinary sciences, biology and medical laboratory science topping the list of declared majors. Another 57 students enrolled in the Thompson School of Applied Sciences, where the most popular major is applied animal science.

There are 334 first-year students who enrolled at the College of Health and Human Services, where the top declared majors include nursing, athletic training and human development and family studies.  

At UNH Manchester, there are 64 students in the class of 2021, and the most popular declared majors are biological sciences, ASL/English interpreting and communication arts.

Interested in learning more about attending UNH? Visit the undergraduate admissions website.