UH Hilo enrollment marks new milestone

HILO—Enrollment at the University of Hawaii at Hilo reached a new record by exceeding 4,000 for the first time. The 2010 fall opening enrollment figures released by the University of Hawaii System show that UH Hilo enrolled 4,085 students compared to 3,996 a year ago.

“Surpassing 4,000 is noteworthy as a milestone of progress,” said Chancellor Donald Straney. “But the bigger accomplishment is our consistent growth over an extended period of time due to the outstanding work of our faculty, staff, and administration. Their efforts have helped UH Hilo become recognized for its high quality academic programs.”

The vast majority of UH Hilo’s students continue to come from Hawaii, with the number of resident students totaling 2,852, or 70 percent of the overall student population. Approximately 23 percent of students are of Native Hawaiian ancestry. Out-of-state students total 1,233 or 30 percent.

The total enrollment includes UH Hilo’s international students, which number 319 and represent 36 countries. This year’s figure is up 4 percent from last year’s enrollment of 306 and accounts for 8 percent of the overall student body. The largest numbers come from the Federated States of Micronesia (85), Japan (59), South Korea (45), and the Marshall Islands (26).