The University of Rochester freshman class will once again be larger than anticipated, because of increased interest on the West Coast, New England, and abroad. Applications continued to climb, admission offers this year were down, yet more admitted students have chosen the University over other outstanding universities.
The freshman class is projected to be about 1,050 students, larger than the original goal due to a higher yield, which means more students accepted the offer to attend the University, said Jonathan Burdick, Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid.
"If we had had the same percentage of students accept our offer as a year ago we would have had about 1,000 incoming freshman," Burdick said. "The University is gaining more national interest thanks to increased exposure, recruitment efforts, and, most importantly, word of mouth. The Californians who are here enjoying their college experience are talking about it with family, friends, and neighbors."
For instance, about 57 percent of incoming students will be coming from out of state, a figure that has never been higher than 53 percent. This may be attributed to the increased number of admission interviews happening on and off-campus. This year about 75 percent of the incoming class had an interview with an alumnus or an admissions counselor on or off-campus, up from zero in the Class of 2007 graduating this year.
Interesting facts from projected enrollment figures:
- 42 freshmen are expected from California. Last year, only 28 enrolled.
- 15 percent of incoming class are coming from west of the Mississippi River
- 20 percent increase seen in enrolling students from New England.
- 72 incoming freshman are expected from abroad; up from 41 this time a year ago.
Although the enrollment figure is higher than originally expected, the admissions rate was the lowest in the University's history. About 40 percent of candidates were admitted, compared to about 50 percent three years ago. Burdick says this can be attributed to the fact that applications and campus visits have increased, which helps Admissions identify students most likely to succeed in the College of Arts, Sciences, and Engineering.
Not only are more students interested in the University, more are making it their first-choice institution. About one-quarter of incoming freshmen—the largest number in the University's history—are Early Decision. This means they are deciding early in the application process that the University is the best place for their undergraduate careers.