I’m not going to tell you whether it is the right university. An article cannot decide that. But I can give you, precisely, the first of the three pieces you need to build a plan: what this university is, on its own terms, measured by the same standard used to measure hundreds of similar schools in this country.
What kind of university it is
University of Connecticut is a public four-year institution based in Storrs, Connecticut, within the Capitol planning region. The federal Carnegie classification system—the one that sorts U.S. universities by what they do—places it among doctoral institutions with the highest research activity. That means first-year undergraduate students and research-intensive graduate programs coexist here under the same roof. IPEDS, the Department of Education data system, confirms that the doctorate is the highest level it reports offering, although that institutional fact does not tell you whether your child’s specific program goes that far. That has to be checked program by program.
Carnegie also classifies it as highly residential: in the data cycle used for that classification, at least half of degree-seeking undergraduate students lived in institution-owned or affiliated housing, and at least 80 out of every 100 attended full time. The setting around campus is classified as a town near an urban area, not within a large urban area. If your family does not live nearby, this really matters: calculate separately where your child would live and how they would get to campus. The census code only locates the school’s address; it says nothing about your commute or situation.
One additional fact worth knowing: in the 2023 federal file, University of Connecticut is marked as a Land Grant Institution, a historical designation shared by only 80 of the 3,012 institutions in this census. It is not a quality judgment, nor does it tell you what actual support your child will have there. You see that in things with names: which student center exists, which scholarship applies, who answers the phone in April.
And on selectivity: Carnegie places it in its more selective admissions group. But that label does not say how many out of every hundred applicants are admitted. That number is different data, and we will see it later. Do not let this be the only school on your child’s list.
The size of the community they would enter
In the official fall count, University of Connecticut reported 27,364 enrolled students, a figure that places it in the highest band used by the government: 20,000 or more. Compared with the 519 public four-year schools with selective admissions in this census, it is on the larger side: between one and three out of every ten have more students than it does.
But that large number includes graduate students. The total is divided into 19,388 undergraduate students and 7,976 graduate students. If your child is starting college, the number that really matters is 19,388, not the total.
Among those undergraduate students, 16 out of every 100 reported being Hispanic or Latino in fall 2023—a clear presence, above half of its 519 peers in this census, without reaching the highest quarter. There are almost no older adults: only 2 out of every 100 are between 25 and 64 years old. The split between men and women is nearly even, with 54 out of every 100 being women. And something worth noting: 58 out of every 100 new entrants came from the state of Connecticut. A little more than half are local; the rest come from elsewhere.
How the academic year is organized
The calendar here runs on semesters: two long terms of about 15 weeks each. The university reported accepting credit for AP exams, but it did not mark the box for credit for life experience. It also reported enrolling high school students in college-credit courses, both inside and outside a formal dual-enrollment program, and accepting credit for military training.
Here is a practical truth: saying that it accepts AP does not mean it gives credit for every exam with every score. This data does not tell us how many points are required or whether those credits apply to your child’s exact program. Request the equivalency evaluation in writing before enrolling. Do not budget for the savings until you have it in hand.
As for bachelor’s degree offerings, University of Connecticut has 5,314 degrees assigned to 2022-23, distributed broadly: the family with the most degrees was business and administration, and even so it represented only 14 out of every 100 degrees that year. The detail covered 25 program families (CIP), placing it in the quarter with the most variety among 514 similar schools. But be careful: 25 families represented in the report are not 25 guaranteed majors. A row may report zero degrees that year. Verify the exact program your child is interested in, by its full name.
On class size, a number many families look for and few fully understand: the reported student-to-faculty ratio is 16 to 1. It is a middle-range figure, neither among the lowest nor the highest among its peers. But this number does not describe the actual size of a first-year class; it is a full-time-equivalent institutional ratio, and the federal file does not say how it was calculated or how many students fit in the room where your child would take Calculus I.
The university also reports structured academic opportunities: study abroad, co-curricular undergraduate research, and several paths related to teacher certification, including state approval of the program for initial certification. Their being reported confirms that they exist as options; it does not say how they are accessed or how competitive the available space is.
What getting in is like: requirements, rates, and what really has to be done
There is no open admission here. University of Connecticut reviews specific pieces before saying yes. Of the nine admissions considerations the government records, it marked five as required: the high school transcript, high school GPA, completion of the course plan the university requires, the personal essay, and the English-proficiency examination for those to whom it applies. It also considers, though they are not required, class rank, letters of recommendation, and work experience.
Put simply: gathering documents is not enough here. The essay is required, so your child has to write it. They should start in the summer, not the week of the deadline. The first draft is never the one submitted. The published undergraduate application fee is $80.
Now, the numbers people almost always ask about first:
How many get in? In the 2023 cycle, University of Connecticut received 46,645 first-year applications. It offered admission to 25,164, that is, 54 out of every 100. Compared with its 519 peers in this census, it is on the lower-acceptance side: seven out of every ten of those schools, or more, admitted a higher percentage of applicants. Looking at it the other way: 21,481 applicants did not receive an offer. It is not an automatic process, and it is not a lottery. Applications are reviewed.
How many admitted students actually enroll? Here is the figure almost no one asks about and that surprises people most: out of every 100 admitted students, only 17 enrolled. The other 83 had an acceptance in hand and did not take it. Among its peers, this proportion is among the most common, neither especially high nor low. And do not read it as a blemish on the school: the federal record does not say why each person made the choice they made. Many of those admitted students probably already had another place secured. What matters is this: what others decided does not tell you what they will offer you. Wait for your own letter with the net price—the amount the year would actually cost—before deciding whether this school remains on the list.
Do they require a test? Yes, the SAT or ACT is required. Of those who enrolled, 37 out of every 100 submitted SAT scores, one of the highest proportions among 406 comparable universities. The middle half of those who submitted scores earned between 610 and 700 in reading and writing, and between 600 and 720 in mathematics. If your child is below those numbers, they are below the scores earned by the lowest quarter of enrolled students who submitted scores. That does not take them out of contention, but it is something to work on in advance, not the week before applying. And remember: those ranges are for people who already enrolled, not all who applied. They are neither a minimum nor a guarantee.
What if they arrive by transfer? Few leave this way: of the cohort that entered in 2017, only 8 out of every 100 appear as having transferred to another institution without completing at Connecticut, a proportion on the lower side compared with similar schools. In the other direction, the university received 621 transfer students from other institutions in fall 2023. But this fact does not say how many credits it recognized. If transfer is your child’s path, request that evaluation in writing, with the list of courses in hand, before they move.
The published price, and why the gap matters
For the 2023–24 year, the reported cost of attendance for a first-year, full-time student living on campus was $39,682 at the Connecticut resident rate and $62,350 at the out-of-state rate. It is a budget used to calculate aid, not a fixed bill.
Broken down: $20,366 for tuition and fees for residents ($43,034 for nonresidents), $13,996 for on-campus housing and meals, and $990 for books and supplies, plus an estimate of other expenses.
Here is something I want you to see plainly: there is a difference of $22,668 per year between the resident and out-of-state rates. Ask the institution what requirements it uses to classify residency and when they apply. It is not the same everywhere.
Compared with 483 similar schools in this census, this cost of attendance at the resident rate is among the highest in the group.
The net price: what each family actually pays
At University of Connecticut, among 300 first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal Title IV aid and paid the state or district rate, whose EFC records showed family income below $30,000, the average net price was $13,936. Among 212 students in the same population with EFC family income from $48,001 to $75,000, it was $18,705; among 536 students with EFC family income above $110,000, it was $31,886. For dependent students, the band combines their parents’ income and their own.
There is a difference of $17,950 between the average for the lower-income band (300 students) and the higher-income band (536 students). These are group averages, not a prediction of your family’s price. Among first-year students who received any scholarship, the average was $22,324.
Among the 519 schools of the same type and control included in this census that reported this data with the same time coverage, this one falls in the most expensive quarter for lower-income families. That does not mean it should be ruled out. It means you need to request the aid letter before deciding.
Because the price changes so much from one income band to another, correctly locating yours is the first step. The income bands in this profile describe first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal Title IV aid; at public institutions, they use the state or district rate. The overall average with scholarships, when shown, describes first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal, state, local, or institutional scholarships or grants. The letter that matters is the aid letter you receive.
Aid and loans: separate the three columns
Out of every 100 students seeking a degree here, 68 received aid that does not have to be repaid—more than half, but not everyone. Among those who did receive it, the average for the year was $15,530. The federal Pell Grant, reserved for families with demonstrated financial need, reached 24 out of every 100 students. The difference between that 68 and that 24 may include state, institutional, or other aid sources that this breakdown does not separate; ask directly which programs make it up.
When your aid letter arrives, sort it by hand into three piles: what does not have to be repaid, what must be repaid with interest, and what has to be worked for. Many letters mix them into a single column, and that confusion costs families dearly.
On loans: 41 out of every 100 undergraduate students received a federal loan in the 2022-23 academic year, averaging $6,379 per student who borrowed. That figure is for one year and only for federal loans in the student’s name—it does not include Parent PLUS loans that parents sometimes sign, bank or credit-card debt, or debt accumulated by graduation. This percentage describes other families, not yours. What your child would have to borrow comes from their own letter, and that letter must be awaited before committing to the school.
The university also reports a tuition installment payment plan and participation in a Promise program, two mechanisms worth asking about by name at the financial-aid office.
Campus life, support, and other pieces of the picture
University of Connecticut offers its own housing, although it does not require all first-year students to live there. It reports a maximum capacity of 12,170 institution-controlled housing spaces. It also offers meal plans, although the number of meals per week varies by the plan selected. The existence of a room does not guarantee a bed will be available for your child; request in writing the year’s rate, the housing application deadline, and whether space is guaranteed or waitlisted.
For those considering ROTC, the university reported opportunities in two branches: Army and Air Force. The Navy is not marked. Being marked does not mean the program is held on this specific campus; ask directly about available spaces and requirements.
In athletics, University of Connecticut competes in the NCAA. The federal report confirms membership for football, basketball, baseball, and cross-country or track and field, although it does not specify which division each sport plays in or whether a scholarship is available. Ask the coach for that sport directly, in writing.
Regarding distance education: the university offers it at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, but in the fall count only 1 out of every 100 undergraduate students took all their classes at a distance. The other 99 took at least one in person.
The library operates with hired staff, spending above the threshold recorded by the government, physical and digital materials, and interlibrary lending. The institution also reports several support services: combined academic and career counseling, employment services for current students, placement services upon program completion, Yellow Ribbon participation for veterans, a dedicated point of contact for military members and their families, and a services page for people with disabilities. Their being reported confirms that they exist as institutional resources; it does not measure how accessible or effective they are in your child’s actual experience. Ask by name.
If your child gets in: how likely they are to stay and graduate
There are good signs here, stated precisely.
Of the cohort that entered in fall 2022, 91 out of every 100 met the official retention criterion the following year: they were still enrolled there or had already completed a bachelor’s degree. Compared with its 519 peers, University of Connecticut is among those that retain the most of their cohort.
On graduation: of the cohort that began in 2017, 84 out of every 100 had a degree in hand six years later. At the four-year mark, that figure falls to 76 out of every 100. Compared with its peers, it is among those that graduate the most students.
| Measure | Proportion |
|---|---|
| Retention the following year | 91 out of every 100 |
| Graduation in 4 years | 76 out of every 100 |
| Graduation in 6 years | 84 out of every 100 |
| With some degree at 8 years (broader cohort) | 83 out of every 100 |
An important note on the 6-year rate: of the original cohort of 3,644 students, 3,057 completed a bachelor’s degree, 276 transferred without completing there, 25 were still enrolled without completing, and 286 no longer appeared enrolled at the cutoff. “No longer enrolled” does not explain the reason, and may include people who finished after the official time frame.
A high number is not a promise for your child. It is what happened to the cohort that entered in 2017. What is in your hands is making sure they enter with credits in order, and that from the first semester they know who their advisor is and when to register for courses in their program.
It is also worth mentioning the eight-year measure, which follows a different and broader cohort—including part-time students and those with prior postsecondary experience. Of those 4,961 students who entered between 2015 and 2016, 83 out of every 100 had a degree or certificate eight years later. Among those who received a Pell Grant, the figure was 80 out of every 100, four points below the group without Pell. Once again, it is among the highest proportions among its peers. And again: it describes an earlier cohort; it does not predict your child’s outcome.
What this article cannot tell you
We do not know what happens after graduation in terms of employment or income: that information requires another source, and it is not authorized here. We also do not know whether the exact program your child is interested in has the class size, professor, or culture they need. Ask the university directly, by name.
Now it is your turn
You now know, with the precision the official data allow, one of the three pieces you need to decide: what University of Connecticut really is and offers. What remains is to combine it with what your child wants to study, what they have built so far, and what your family can and is willing to pay. No figure in this article decides that for you.
Your child needs to write the essay, maintain their GPA, and explore whether this program truly appeals to them. You need to read the complete financial-aid letter, ask about credit equivalencies before promising yourself savings, and verify in writing what this article cannot confirm: available spaces, scholarships, and exact program requirements. The university needs to admit, offer aid, and answer your questions.
From that combination, not from a single fact, a plan is born.
Source: data from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), U.S. Department of Education, corresponding to the cycles and cohorts cited in the text (primarily 2022-23 and 2023-24). Best College Aid does not represent University of Connecticut or any government agency; this article organizes and explains public data to help you understand them.