The University of Connecticut’s Class of 2022 consists of 5,500 new freshmen, the largest freshman class in the school’s history. The school is also welcoming approximately 1,000 transfer students for the fall semester.

More than 4,000 of the freshmen are Connecticut residents, and UConn’s new students come from 164 of the state’s 169 cities and towns. More than 24,000 undergraduate students will begin classes on Aug. 27, with 12,300 incoming students moving into Storrs residence halls and about 420 into housing near UConn Stamford.

“UConn is today competing with many of the best schools in America for talented Connecticut high school graduates,” said UConn President Susan Herbst at a press conference announcing the statistics. “We’re so successful at recruiting them because we have established a winning formula at UConn: exceptional academics, great faculty and outstanding campus facilities – at a cost that is a value for Connecticut students and families, thanks to financial aid. When you invest in UConn, you are investing in Connecticut’s future. And this class, like all our freshman classes, is some of the best evidence of that.”