Kent State Achieves Highest-Ever Enrollment and Welcomes Largest Freshman Class to Kent Campus

Kent Campus enrollment is up 4.2 percent

Kent State University has surpassed last year’s record enrollment number to achieve a new all-time high with the release of the university’s official 15th day census data. Kent State announced a 1.98 percent increase in enrollment for the fall 2011 semester across its eight campuses. On the Kent Campus alone, enrollment is up 4.2 percent with the number of full-time equivalent students, or FTEs, up 5.54 percent, so students are taking more hours.

Kent State reports 42,185 students for the fall 2011 semester. This is up from 41,365 students for fall 2010 semester. Unduplicated (or preponderant) headcount at the campus in Kent is 26,938, and the unduplicated headcount for the regional campuses is 15,247. Students are counted only once at the campus at which they hold a majority of their course load.

In addition, the Kent Campus welcomed its largest freshman class in the university’s 101-year history. The total number of first-time, full-time freshmen enrolled at the Kent Campus is 4,284 surpassing the record set in fall 2009 with 4,030 students.

“More people are saying ‘yes’ to Kent State than ever before,” said Kent State President Lester A. Lefton. “They know that we are a leading public research university that is affordable and accessible. Students and their families recognize the great educational quality and value of a Kent State education, and so our Kent State community continues to grow.”

Highlights from the fall 2011 enrollment numbers also include:

• Enrollment of international students is up 35 percent.
• Enrollment at Kent State University at Geauga is up 10.64 percent. Kent State Geauga reported 1,498 students for fall 2011 compared to 1,354 in the previous year.
• Diversity of students, particularly among the AALANA (African American, Latino American and Native American) population, is up 6.45 percent.
• Graduate enrollment has increased 3.09 percent.

T. David Garcia, Kent State’s associate vice president for enrollment management, said that the university keeps making great strides in attracting a great, diverse mix of students. “The students who have enrolled at Kent State represent great quantity in terms of numbers as well as great quality in terms of student GPA. In addition to that, we have a great diversity in our students and a nice mix of in-state versus out-of-state students as well as international students.”

Kent State’s eight campuses are located in Ashtabula, East Liverpool, Geauga, Kent, Salem, Stark, Trumbull and Tuscarawas. For more information about Kent State, visit www.kent.edu.

For the full fall enrollment report, go to www.kent.edu/rpie/enrollment.

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Photo Caption:
Kent State University has surpassed last year’s record enrollment number to achieve a new all-time high with 42,185 students for the fall 2011 semester. In addition, the Kent Campus welcomed its largest freshman class in the university’s history.

Media Contact:
Emily Vincent, evincen2@kent.edu, 330-672-8595