Calvin Enrollment Drops 146

September 21, 2004 == MEDIA ADVISORY

Calvin College has a 2004-2005 enrollment of 4,186 students, a decline of 146
from a year ago when the total enrollment numbered 4,332 students.

The bulk of that drop-off came in the first-year class which numbers 902
students this year after numbering 1,042 last year.

Calvin vice president for enrollment and external relations Tom McWhertor says
the drop was expected, based on applications to the college this spring, and
disappointing.

"We feel we offer a first-class education at an affordable price -- and with a
sound Christian perspective," he says. "Our challenge now is to communicate
both our excellence and our affordability to high school students and their
parents."

In fact, adds McWhertor, Calvin's academic excellence message appears to be
sinking in with prospective students.

He notes that almost 60% of this year's first-year class earned top
scholarships from Calvin. He says too that, despite the drop in first-year
students, Calvin actually gained first-year students with top-level high school
grade point averages.

"In the first-year class," he says, "we're up for the highest-achieving high
school students, but down for students with lower high school GPAs. That's a
concern for us and something that we hope to address this school year."

And, he says, a first-year class of 902 students is still a significant class.
 "It is," he says, "the largest first-year class at any single private college
campus in the state."

Calvin's chief number-cruncher Tom VanEck says that this year's student body
includes:

*2,287 women (54.6%) and 1,899 men (45.4%)

*398 international students (9.5%), including 185 Canadian students (4.4%),
down 17 from the year before, and 213 students (5.1%) from other countries, up
16 from the year before and 31 from two years ago

*223 (5.3%) students of color, up 22 from a year ago and up 36 from two years
ago
 
*2,212 students from Michigan (52.8%)

*1,499 (37.4%) students who have at least one parent who is a Calvin alum

Contact Tom McWhertor at 616-526-6650

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Received on Tue Sep 21 12:14:02 2004