UW-Green Bay will be the first of the 13 four-year campuses in the UW System to cut off freshman applications for the fall semester. The cutoff date is the earliest in the university's history.

UW-Green Bay will continue to process already-submitted applications, even those that require additional information and are completed after Jan. 18.

Exceptions to the application cutoff will be made on a case-by-case basis. Exceptions will be considered for freshmen who would enrich the campus community through special talent, diversity and other factors, the university said.

Chancellor Bruce Shepard said the exceptionally strong enrollment demand has left the University with no choice but to curtail freshmen applications.

"We're very pleased to see that demand for a UW-Green Bay education has been growing every year," he said. "That means students recognize good things are happening here. However, it also puts us in a position where we need to take this unprecedented action."

The university said it must limit applications as part of an effort to balance enrollment and available resources, including class sections and student services such as advising and academic support.

As of Jan. 3, UW-Green Bay had received 2,951 new-freshman applications for the fall semester, up 9 percent from the same time a year ago.

Last fall, the university had a record full-time-equivalent enrollment. The full-time equivalent enrollment is based on the number of credits taken and is used in measuring the university's capacity.

UW-Green Bay is projecting a fall head-count enrollment — the total number of students enrolled in September — of about 5,400 students. Overall, the university serves about 7,400 students throughout the year.