YSU Freshman Enrollment Metrics on the Rise

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Since Youngstown State University changed to a selective admission process four years ago, most enrollment metrics have improved, the university has announced.

Since the 2014-15 school year, freshman enrollment, the number of honors college students, grade point averages, ACT scores and retention rates have all increased. The decision to adopt a selective admission process, said vice president for enrollment management Gary Swegan, was based on Ohio’s funding formula that was based on student success rather than enrollment numbers.

“These are all very positive numbers, moving in the right direction and significantly changing the makeup of the student body at YSU,” he said in a release.

This school year, freshman enrollment was 2,400, up from 1,821 four years ago, while the honors college has grown to 300 students from just 79. The average fall GPA of freshman was 3.35 last semester, up from 2.97 in the 2014 fall semester. For incoming freshman, the average ACT score this school year was 21.85, up from 20.48. The fall-to-fall retention rate is 75.5%, an increase from 67%. And, the percentage of students that default on their students loans is projected to be 13% for this school year, down from 20% in 2014-15.

“We are more committed than ever to bringing students to YSU who are prepared to meet the challenges of college, to help them reach their potential, to guide them to graduating on time and to ensuring that they leave here with a job and with little or no debt,” President Jim Tressel said.

The report was presented to the Board of Trustees, which met two days this week. The board also approved a new contract with the Association for Classified Employees and the addition of a two-day fall semester break to the academic calendar.

Trustees also approved the awarding of two honorary doctorates to this year’s commencement speakers, Bill Bodine and Brian Wolf. Bodine is a Grammy-winning composer, while Wolf is the executive director for the Marion G. Resch Foundation, which has donated more than $2 million to the university.

SOURCE: YSU News Center

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