Given the breadth of its academic offerings, there are many facets to the “UWM Experience” for students. UWM students are a large and diverse group with a variety of educational goals and interests. Undergraduate students make up 83.3 percent of the student population. Graduate students represent 16.7 percent of students. Within the two groups, there is considerable diversity—for example, among undergraduates, there is a sizable group who fit the traditional model of undergraduate student (entering the University immediately after high school, living in the residence halls, taking a full credit load each semester, and graduating within four to six years). There are also many adult and returning students, who may ‘step out’ several semesters of their academic careers, attending on a part-time basis while balancing family responsibilities and full-time jobs, and taking a commensurately longer time to complete their degrees. The average age of all students at UWM is about 25, ranging from an average of 22 for undergraduates to 35 for doctoral students in the Graduate School.
A significant portion (37%) of UWM students attend school part-time. There is considerable variation in their credit load. For undergraduates, the average credit load per semester is 11.7, with 15 percent of undergraduates enrolling for six or fewer credits and 30 percent enrolling for 15 or more credits. Similarly, the average credit load per semester for graduate students is 6.4, with 33 percent of graduate students enrolling for three or fewer credits and 36 percent enrolling for eight or more credits.
UWM serves a diverse population consisting of 6.9 percent African-American students, 2.1 percent Asian students, 2.2 percent Southeast Asian students, .7 percent Native American students, 3.6 percent Hispanic students, 79.9 percent White students and 2 percent international students.1 Women represent 55 percent of the total student population at UWM.
