The Class of 2015 at Elon University is both the largest and the most diverse in the school's history, with a total of 1,428 students in the freshmen class and 90 transfer students according to Greg Zaiser, dean of admissions.
Forty states are represented in the class, with North Carolina having the most students. Massachusetts has the second-highest student representation in the class for the third year running, while New Jersey, Maryland and Virginia each make up 8 percent of the freshman class.
International students constitute 3 percent of new students, an increase of 27 percent from last year as a result of a focus on international applicants, Zaiser said. The number of dual citizens also doubled this year.
"This is the first year we had a full time director of international admissions who was able to travel to different countries," Zaiser said.
The freshman class is also the most ethnically diverse in the university's history, with 17 percent classifying themselves as an ethnicity other than Caucasian, a 1 percent increase from last year.
Males make up 40 percent and females 60 percent of the newest class, which is about the average male- to-female ratio on college campuses nationwide.
Susan Klopman, vice president of admissions and financial planning, said this ratio was more difficult to achieve than it may seem. Overall, more females apply to early decision or early action deadlines, while males wait until the final deadline to apply to Elon. This, coupled with the trend of men tending to focus less on liberal arts education, skews th gender ratio.
The freshman class isn't just diverse, it's also solidly prepared academically. New students have an overall average core GPA of 3.9 and the average SAT score is 1833. ACT scores range from 25 to 29. The top five intended majors are business, communications, biology, psychology and education, respectively.
The admittance rate was higher this year than previous years, increasing from 49 to 58 percent due to a university goal to accept more students.
About 9,000 students applied to Elon this year, a drop by about 600 applicants from last year.
"Last year was highly unusual," Zaiser said. "This year we saw a more normal number of applicants."
Admissions also saw a lower number of applicants from North Carolina, something Klopman said is because of the struggling economy.
"The biggest surprise and disappointment was lower North Carolina enrollment," she said. "More students are opting to go to public schools because of cost."
The number of students who completed a FAFSA to qualify for financial aid increased by 26 percent this year, which Klopman said is another indicator of the economy's effect on students and their parents.
But 10 students with financial need have another chance for aid with the Elon Commitment Scholarship, which will be implemented for the first time this year.
Eight others will receive the Watson Scholarship, a $10,000 annual award to North Carolina students who demonstrate financial need.
The Elon Commitment scholarships are awarded to students with financial hardship, doubling the number of students receiving scholarships under the Watson Program. Both scholarships fall under the plan of the Elon Commitment to increase aid to students.
"This is one major step in supporting students who may not be able to afford a private university," Zaiser said.