The University of New England announced Tuesday that it is welcoming its largest-ever undergraduate class with about 850 new students enrolling in the fall.

The private university also states that this will be its most ethnically and geographically diverse class, with students coming from 33 states.

Nationally, college enrollment has been declining. 

There were 4.7% – or 662,000 – fewer students enrolled in undergraduate programs in spring 2022 compared to the same time in 2021, according to a May New York Times report citing the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center.

Undergraduate enrollment in the U.S. fell 9% – from 17.5 million to 15.9  million – between 2009 and 2020, according to the National Center for Educational Statistics. 

However, the center projects that enrollment will rebound by 8%, or 17.1 million students, by 2030.

As reported by The Maine Monitor, Maine’s public flagship campus, UMaine, has managed to stave off declining enrollment. UMaine reported an increase in undergrad students from 8,778 in fall 2012 to 9,447 in fall 2021.

At the University of New England, UNE President James Herbert attributes the figures to new majors and growing interest in existing majors among other factors.

UNE continues to experience strong enrollment in its most popular majors, marine sciences, nursing and medical biology. The university has launched two new majors this fall, criminology and special education, as well as a minor in computer science, and it has experienced growing interest in its psychology and business majors, according to a news release.