The graduate programs that saw the largest growth are business administration, human resource and organization development, educational administration, law and nursing. More than 6,450 graduate students are enrolled for fall 2021.

Conversely, following , the preliminary number of first-time undergraduate degree-seeking students enrolled for fall dropped 6% to 2,693.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has been life-altering for so many, and we are encouraged that more students are seeking post-graduate-level degrees,” said Neeli Bendapudi, UofL’s president. “It is such a thrill to see a vibrant campus once again, and we are confident of a bright future for all our students.”

For the incoming undergraduate class, the five most popular majors are engineering, business, education, biology and psychology. Enrollment in public health programs for both undergraduate and graduate students also continues to be strong with a 19% increase since 2019.

The incoming undergraduate class remains diverse, with almost 20% of students identifying as African American or multiracial, and 7% as Latino.

Here is a snapshot of the 2021 first-time freshman class:

• 47.6% have some college credits
• 20.24% are African American or identify as multiracial
• 7.06% are Hispanic/Latino
• 64.05% live on campus
• 33.05% are first-generation college students
• 25.64 is the average ACT score
• 3.63 is the average high school grade-point average, based on a 4.0 scale
• 23.72% are from outside Kentucky
• 38 states are represented
• 246 are part-time

For the first time in 18 months, live audiences are once more being allowed inside to enjoy performances by the SOM students, faculty and guests.

SOM this week released its live performance schedule for the Fall 2021 semester beginning with two concerts Sept. 19. 

The schedule includes the Faculty Gala Oct. 22 and the popular Halloween-themed University Symphony Orchestra concert Oct. 30, as well as an abundance of student and faculty performances closed to audiences since March 2020 due to COVID-19.

Proof of COVID-19 vaccination will be required at the door for members of the public, faculty, staff and students who would like to attend. Several of the concerts also will be livestreamed.

In addition:

• Most concerts are free but all require online signup on Eventbrite.com;
• Seating is limited with prearranged spacing to allow for physical distancing;
• Everyone who enters the event venue for any reason must wear a mask that completely covers the nose and mouth at all times;
• Regardless of vaccination status, we ask if you are feeling unwell to refrain from in-person attendance.

“We are thrilled about the return of audiences to the music building, and we are confident our safety measures will ensure the healthiest and most comfortable experience possible for everyone,” said SOM Dean Teresa Reed.

A comprehensive list of concerts with signup links can be . Please check frequently for updates.

While some early move-ins had already taken place, Wednesday’s official start saw a stream of anxious first-year students and their families hauling belongings and sharing laughs, hugs and tears under warm, sunny skies.

Three mini Cardinal Marching Bands provided that traditional college sound at different locations to add to the celebratory mood.

Approximately 3,500 students — 2,000 of them first-year students — will move into university housing before the start of classes Aug. 23. 

More than 450 will be the first residents of the just-opened Belknap Residence Hall, the university’s first new residence hall in 31 years. It joins two other traditional-style halls that are primarily for first-year students, Miller Hall and Unitas Tower.

“The whole experience has been so pleasant,” said incoming first-year student Mary Schook, who was moving into BRH. “The [Belknap Residence Hall] is super nice, my room is much bigger than I thought it would be and everyone I’ve met along the way has been so friendly and so welcoming.” 

Mary’s mother, Nancy, said the pleasant move-in experience calmed some of her parental fears.

“It’s been very easy to move in and everyone is very helpful and I feel comfortable leaving her here,” she said. 

Over at Unitas Tower, Katina Carroll said she broke down in tears a couple of times as she helped her son, Brayden Miller, move onto campus from their home in Corbin.

“It’s pretty emotional. I’m proud of who he is and where he’s going in life, but then again, he’s still my baby,” Carroll said, adding she thinks she’ll probably cry all the way home. “That’s why I brought somebody with me to be able to drive me home, because I don’t know that I can even handle that.”

Other residence halls on Belknap Campus are the suites in Community Park, Kurz Hall, Louisville Hall and Billy Minardi Hall, and apartments in Cardinal Towne, Bettie Johnson, University Pointe and University Tower.

Dozens of Welcome Week activities were planned for incoming first-years and second-years who didn’t get a chance to experience Welcome Week in 2020 due to COVID-19 cancellations. Commuting students and transfer students also have specific activities aimed at getting them settled at UofL.

Just some of the activities include a free welcome-back concert at Cardinal Stadium, the traditional SOUL community service day, a scavenger hunt, yoga and other exercise classes, playtime with puppies, lawn games and late-night ice cream floats.

Natalie Uhl, digital content coordinator in the Office of Communications and Marketing, contributed to this story.

The five-story, 452-bed  is the first of two new halls for first-year students that are part of an $87 million project replacing outdated buildings used for three decades for housing and university offices. The second hall will open in Fall 2022.

“By cutting this ribbon today, we are beginning an exciting new era for UofL students on Belknap Campus,” said UofL President Neeli Bendapudi. “Not only are we welcoming back students, many of whom have been learning virtually due to COVID-19, we are presenting our first-year students with a thoroughly modern residence hall designed to help them achieve success.”

Designed with input from student advisors, the hall is located in the heart of Belknap Campus near classrooms, libraries, dining areas and restaurants, a campus movie theater and other activity spaces in the Student Activities Center and an abundance of tree- and garden-lined grounds. 

In addition to its single- and double-occupancy rooms, the hall includes:

• Classroom space
• Study areas filled with natural light 
• Private study rooms equipped with desks, chairs and whiteboards
• A game room, kitchen and multiple laundry facilities, and
• Proximity to UofL’s new , set to open in October.

“I have to be honest; this project was a big risk, as the debt load will be carried way past my tenure and with the exception of maybe our student leaders, none of us currently working at UofL will likely be here when it is paid in full,” said Director of Housing Tom Hardy. “However, the entire team at UofL knew this was an investment we needed to make to be competitive, but most important to better meet the needs of today’s students.”

Belknap Residence Hall is at full capacity for the Fall 2021 semester. Students will begin to move in this week and a welcoming students back to campus begins Aug. 18; classes begin Aug. 23.

A third new residence hall, the 128-bed Denny Crum Hall, is also being constructed on Belknap Campus and scheduled to open in 2022. It will house a mixture of student-athletes and non-student-athletes.

More details are .

In our case, a return to normal means we expect to offer students a robust residential experience with in-person classes and fully staffed student services again. Most of us miss the vibrancy of student life on campus, the interactions between students, faculty and staff, and we look forward to a mostly in-person schedule for fall.  

Here are the initial takeaways for the Fall 2021 semester: 

• The fall 2021 schedule includes face-to-face and 100% digital course designations. While most of our courses will be in person, many students have told us they enjoy being able to take a combination of in-person and online courses that accommodates their learning styles and schedules.  
• In-person courses may incorporate some online expectations. While we’re excited to get back to in-person courses, we plan to implement some of the great benefits that online tools provided students in 2020. For example, in-person courses this fall will have a majority of classes scheduled on campus with the instructor, but there may be times when the instructor uses hybrid tools, such as scheduling virtual, small group breakout sessions or flipping the classroom.  
• Any combination of in-person and online courses may be taken for the same resident or nonresident full-time rate. We did this last fall, and we will continue that practice for fall 2021 to give more students the option of taking online courses where preferred.  
• We will be prepared to flip some in-person courses to online or hybrid if the pandemic continues into this fall. We certainly hope this will not be the case, but as we learned to do this past year, we will be ready to adjust quickly if necessary.  

Because many students and faculty find the hybrid designation confusing, and because we do not expect to be required to physically distance to the same extent as this year, all courses will be marked as either face-to-face or 100% digital.    

We are proud that during this difficult year, not a single COVID-19 case was contact-traced to a classroom. As always, our priority this fall will be to keep faculty, staff and students safe on campus while providing a first-class, in-person education for students. And if the course of the pandemic requires it, we will be able to transition to hybrid and online more easily this fall.