University Receives Second-Highest Number of Freshman Applications
Contact: Assistant Vice President for Enrollment Services Kip Howard, (740) 593-4120.
ATHENS, Ohio (September 1, 2000) -- As Ohio University freshmen begin their first week of classes
Tuesday, Sept. 5, Assistant Vice President for Enrollment Services Kip Howard already is
thinking about next year's class.
The university's recruitment efforts for fall 2001 are under way at high schools
throughout the state and region. Although final enrollment numbers won't be available until
mid-September, the recruitment program helped to bring in 12,290 applications for
enrollment from prospective freshmen this academic year -- the second-highest number
ever -- with about 10 percent of applicants applying online. The number of students applying
for enrollment using the Web-based application form increased from about 370 last year to
1,287 this year.
"Students expect colleges and universities to offer online applications now," Howard
said. "We're aggressively promoting our electronic application in our new admissions
materials. We want them to be looking at our Web site."
Using information from the freshman applicant pool, university officials have obtained
an early look at the class profile. For example, more than 3,600 of the 10,228 freshman
applicants from Ohio hail from the Cleveland, Akron and Youngstown areas. Other parts of
the state drew a substantial number of applicants: southwestern Ohio (about 2,400), central
Ohio (about 1,800), southeastern Ohio (about 1,300) and northwestern Ohio (about 900).
"We hit all the major cities in Ohio heavily when we recruit, but Cuyahoga County
traditionally has been a big draw for the university," Howard said. The university also
attracted a number of freshman applicants from Pennsylvania, Illinois, Maryland, West
Virginia, New York and Michigan.
Ohio University received its highest number of freshman applications in 1998 with
12,722. Last year, 11,780 firstyear students applied for enrollment. Howard credits the
increase in applications in part to the residence hall computer initiative that has placed a
computer and printer in every residence hall room on campus.
The university admitted 9,449 students for the upcoming year, compared to 9,409
admitted last year. Details on student yield -- how many freshmen actually choose Ohio
University this academic year -- will be released at the Sept. 18 Faculty Senate meeting at 7
p.m. in 194 Irvine Hall. There were 3,449 students in last year's freshman class.
