Contrary to impressions left by the Pioneer Institute (“UMass, think tank clash on enrollment,’’ Page A1, May 19), the University of Massachusetts Amherst is educating record numbers of Massachusetts residents. In-state enrollment has grown by more than 1,000 over 10 years. Meanwhile, our increased out-of-state enrollment has essentially paid the cost of educating additional state residents as the state’s share of the UMass budget has declined.

The institute’s analysis simplistically focuses on acceptances rather than the actual number of out-of-state students who enroll. UMass Amherst has a very deliberate strategy. Students apply to multiple colleges, and out-of-state students historically are less likely to enroll than in-state students. In fall 2015, 29 percent of Massachusetts students chose to enroll at UMass Amherst after having been offered admission, compared with 11 percent of out-of-state residents.

Currently, 76 percent of UMass Amherst students are from Massachusetts, a higher percentage of in-state students than at flagship campuses in four other New England states. For reference, the number of undergraduates from Massachusetts who entered UMass Amherst in 2015 was greater than the total number of permanent Massachusetts residents entering Harvard, MIT, Boston College, Boston University, Brandeis, and Worcester Polytechnic Institute combined. We are educating the state’s future leaders, who benefit from the vitality of a student body drawn from around the world.

Kumble R. Subbaswamy

Chancellor

University of

Massachusetts Amherst

Amherst