New students to Kent State walk away from the Kent Student
Center during Destination Kent State, the university’s summer
advising and registration program for incoming freshmen and
their parents. This fall, the Kent Campus expects to welcome
the freshman class with the highest-ever grade point average
in its history.

Incoming freshmen to Kent State University’s Kent Campus will bring impressive credentials this fall as their class boasts a 3.3 grade point average (GPA) with nearly 75 percent having at least a 3.0 GPA. It’s another sign of the continued commitment of high-achieving students to pursue and earn their degrees from Kent State.

The incoming class also made record commitments for enrollment and student housing and through appointments with Destination Kent State, the university’s summer advising and registration program for incoming freshmen and their parents. This marks the second time in three years that commitments have reached capacity by mid-June for traditional incoming freshmen attending the Kent Campus.

“This shows that we’re definitely on the right track to success,” says Kent State President Lester A. Lefton. “Our efforts to market the university’s true strengths and show new students that we’re committed to delivering a world-class education are paying dividends. We also significantly increased our financial aid to help with the economic burden, so incoming freshmen know we want Kent State to be their first choice.”

With the expected enrollment increase, the university must now closely manage new freshman applications. Any new freshmen who apply or complete their application on and after June 17 will be given the option to attend one of Kent State’s seven Regional Campuses located throughout Northeast Ohio or begin attending the Kent Campus in the spring of 2014. The Kent Campus will continue to accept applications for transfer and upper-division students, as well as veterans.

“We’ve been telling incoming students and their parents all year that they should act quickly to guarantee a spot in the fall class,” says T. David Garcia, Kent State’s associate vice president for enrollment management. “By the large number of those who have made the commitment early, we know they heard the message.

“This incoming class of freshmen is impressive, to say the least,” Garcia continues. “With high grade point averages and proven track records of success in high school, they already know how to work hard in the classroom. They’ve made the commitment to schedule their classes, secure their housing and begin this great journey toward completing a degree.”

Kent State’s “First Choice” initiative provided more than $31 million in scholarships to incoming freshmen, an increase of $7 million over the previous year, to help ease the rising cost of attending college.

Freshman enrollment has contributed to the university’s overall enrollment growth. In fall 2012, the university reported its highest-ever enrollment with 42,513 students across its eight campuses, including 27,706 students on the Kent Campus, ranking Kent State the second largest public university in Ohio. The incoming freshman class is predicted to be around 4,200 this fall, Garcia says.

For enrollment questions, contact Kent State’s Admissions Office at 1-800-988-5368.

For more information about Kent State, visit www.kent.edu.