A total of 1,407 new students have started the 2023-24 academic year at Elmhurst University,  including 607 first-year students—the third-largest class in University history—and a record number of graduate students and international students.

Among the 378 new graduate students are the University’s first eight doctoral students, who are enrolled in the Doctor of Nursing Practice program. Along with returning students, the University’s total student enrollment is 3,906.

“Our continued success bringing in a large, diverse class across first-year, transfer, graduate and now doctoral students, is an effort that takes time and attention,” said Christine Grenier, vice president for admission. “As a campus community, we work to build relationships with our students, not just recruit them—they become like family. We want to understand and meet both their needs and expectations for their college experience, from when they apply to when they graduate.”

More than half of Elmhurst’s first-year students identify as first-generation college students. So do more than half of the campus’s nearly 350 new transfer students, most of whom came from a Chicago-area community college.

Also included among the new students (both undergraduate and graduate) are a record 154 international students, an increase of nearly 38 percent over last year, representing 20 countries. Domestically, the new students hail from 21 states, with the most out-of-state students this year coming from Wisconsin and Indiana.

“We are thrilled to welcome so many new and returning students to campus,” President Troy D. VanAken said. “And we’re committed to helping them grow and succeed throughout every part of their Elmhurst University journey.”