UC welcomes newest Bearcats during summer orientation
A record-setting 7,500 new Bearcats are expected to attend orientation this summer at the University of Cincinnati. The large number of attendees hints at another record year of enrollment during the fall semester.
“This should be our largest freshmen class ever with more than 7,000 freshmen at Uptown campus, more than 1,800 at Blue Ash, and nearly 600 at Clermont,” says Jack Miner, vice provost of enrollment at UC.
Miner says he anticipates enrollment during the fall to top 55,000 students, reflecting more than 10,000 additional students at UC since the beginning of Next Lives Here. Based on the launch of the Bearcats Affordability Grant, in January, the university is expected to grow by more than 16% in Ohio residents alone, he adds.
“UC has been focused on reaching out to students who didn’t see college in their future and especially students who are first in their family to go to college,” explains Miner. In fact, nearly 40% of our incoming class will be first-generation.”
Student orientation leaders, Dove Miller and Brynn Abt, spoke with Local 12 about student orientation at UC. Photo provided.
Miner spoke with journalists from Local 12 News and WLWT about summer orientation and projected enrollment for the fall.
“Orientation is an opportunity for students to walk the path of their future classes, eat in the dining halls, and most importantly, spend time with other students in their major and in their college,” says Miner.
He adds that the Student Orientation Leaders become the guides for the incoming students sharing advice on everything from what classes to take, the best Starbucks on campus, and what to pack for the dorms.
“During orientation the student orientation leaders end each morning leading the new students and their families in Down the Drive,” says Miner. “Parents get their own pathway of programs where they learn about how they can best support their students to ensure they are successful.”
In Fall 2025, UC enrolled 53,682 students at its Uptown, Clermont and Blue Ash campuses.
View stories on UC orientation online with WLWT and Local 12 News.
Featured top image of a student orientation session at UC. Photo/Andrew Higley/UC Marketing + Brand.
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