Steady numbers, record-setting diversity marks 2010 class

Calvin College's 2010 entering class is academically strong, multicultural, internationally diverse and gender-balanced.

The First-Time-In-Any-College (FTIAC) and transfer student populations remained steady at Calvin for the third straight year. 935 first-time students join 100 transfer students to make up the 2010-2011 entering class of 1,035. The comparable figures were 936 FTIACs and 92 transfers for 2008-2009 and 945 FTIACs and 110 transfers last year.

Academically, the 2010 FTIAC class boasts both ACT and GPA averages that are at or above the school's all-time high marks. A record high 727 of these students (78%) received an academic merit scholarship.

Calvin has also attracted a record-setting number of minority students (121) and international students from 30 different countries. And, the incoming FTIAC class is within a few students of being exactly gender-balanced (466 men, 469 women).

"We are grateful that we were able to recruit such an academically excellent and well-balanced class," said Russ Bloem, Calvin's vice president for enrollment management. "It has long been an objective at Calvin to build a community that celebrates cultural diversity and is shaped by the biblical vision of the kingdom of God, a kingdom formed '...from every tribe and language and people and nation.' (Revelation 5:9, 10)."

The school's overall retention rate also improved from a year ago and total enrollment for 2010-2011 stands at 3,991 students. Students hail from 56 countries, 43 states and the District of Columbia, and 6 Canadian provinces. Just over half of the students are from Michigan.

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Received on Wed Sep 29 13:44:52 2010