UNLV begins Fall 2022 with one of largest first-year student groups in its history
LAS VEGAS (KSNV) — UNLV welcomed students back on Monday for the first day of the Fall 2022 semester.
The university will have around 4,300 first-year students, among the most ever in UNLV history.
The campus is full of students again, with enrollment expected to top 30,000 students this fall.
UNLV officials said 82% of new students are Nevada residents and most of the out-of-state students are from California and Hawaii.
There are a few changes for students: 75% of classes are in person this semester, which is up from 60% last fall.
The campus is now smoke-free and tobacco-free as well, so cigarettes and vape pens are no longer allowed.
News 3 spoke to multiple students about how excited they were to return.
“It’s an absolute dream come true. Growing up in the Las Vegas area, I’ve had multiple friends that graduated over here. It’s an absolute blessing to be here man,” said UNLV student Nathan Arguellus, who recently transferred from a community college.
“Feels great. Just getting my prerequisites done. Trying to gear up for medical school,” said D'Mar Moore, a pre-medical student at UNLV.
There will be more than 1,500 students living on campus this semester, which is the most since before the COVID-19 pandemic.
It has been a very long journey.
From January through June of last year the student union transformed into a vaccination site for Covid-19.
Nearly 129,000 doses were administered at this one location.
Now, the student union is once again packed with students meeting up with old friends, and making new ones.
“You get a sense of what it used to be like,” says senior Floyd Velasquez. “Coming back in the flesh, seeing your professors eye to eye, making connections with them and the students around you makes you feel motivated to come to school.”
One thing that has changed this semester, UNLV is now a no-smoking campus.
A reminder is posted on doors into the student union.
Still, it’s directions most students seem to need.
“The CBC building is going to be straight down this walkway and to the left,” says Keith Rogers, Interim Vice President of Student Affairs. “The bookstore? You go right down this walkway to your left.”
It's a sense of relief for students feeling a bit lost on the first day of class.
“Make a left when you see the library,” advises Rogers.
