The Utah Asia Campus welcomed 126 new students this spring—the largest one-semester enrollment of freshman since the campus opened in 2014.

“Watching these new students grow in their relationship with the University of Utah community and eventually transition to the Salt Lake City campus is rewarding for all of our faculty and staff,” said Todd Kent, Utah Asia Campus’ chief administrative officer.

The Utah Asia Campus (UAC) spring semester started in late February due to the Korean high school calendar.

This spring there are 64 UAC students who began their academic career studying at the Salt Lake City campus. This number will grow dramatically over the next few years. In June, the UAC will recognize its 100th student who began their education in Korea and graduated from the University of Utah in Salt Lake City.

“At the University of Utah, we believe passionately in building a connected world, one where students from Utah, from across the country and from around the planet learn and work together, enriching their educational experiences and building cultural awareness and mutual respect for the benefit of all,” said Dan Reed, senior vice president for Academic Affairs. “Our Utah Asia Campus is key in providing this educational experience and we are excited about the program’s growth.”

Along with Ghent University, George Mason University and Stony Brook University, the University of Utah is one of the founding institutions of the Incheon Global Campus. Currently, the UAC offers five undergraduate majors in communication, psychology, film and media arts, civil and environmental engineering and urban ecology. In addition, it offers two graduate programs in public health and biomedical informatics. All undergraduate students spend three years studying at the UAC in South Korea and one year studying in Salt Lake City.

“The Utah brand is growing in its appeal among South Korean students,” said Randy McCrillis, dean of students. “Students are realizing that they can study at a world-class university and stay close to home for three years, yet have an international experience in the U.S. Everyone is enthusiastic about the future.”