Calvin News

Calvin College has a 2006-2007 enrollment of 4,199 students, an increase of ten students from a year ago when the total enrollment numbered 4,189 students.

Calvin's first-year class for 2006-2007 numbers 1,027 students, a jump of 20 students from last year and up 125 from two years ago.

Calvin admissions officials are pleased with the total enrollment, the size and quality of the first-year class and the total pool of students who expressed an interest in Calvin.

Vice president for enrollment and external programs Tom McWhertor says Calvin has strategically chosen to maintain its enrollment at current levels because it is convinced that this size provides the optimum opportunities for students and faculty.

"This past year we had some 2,750 students apply to Calvin," says McWhertor. "That's one of the highest applicant pool numbers we've ever had. We are reaching many, many high school seniors and that's a good sign."

McWhertor also was excited about the academic make-up of the class of 2010, and says Calvin's increasingly national academic reputation appears to be resonating with prospective students.

He notes that 640 or 62.3% of this year's first-year students are top scholarship recipients. In addition those first-year students have a significant high school academic track record with 52% of the first-year class at Calvin having been in the top quarter of its high school class.

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

• 2,264 women (53.9%) and 1,935 men (46.1%), which matches the national average among all colleges and universities
• 366 international students (8.7%), including 175 Canadian citizens (4.2%) and 191 (4.5%) who are citizens of more than 40 other countries
• 235 (5.6%) U.S students of color, up eight from a year ago
• 2,228 students from Michigan (53.1%), with out-of-state students coming from 48 other states (only West Virginia is not represented!)
• 1,589 (39.5%) students who have at least one parent who is a Calvin alum, up 41 from a year prior

Among the students who have a parent as an alum are 10 who also have a grandparent, great grandparent and great great grandparent as an alum. Those nine fifth-generation students are: Emily Brondsema (senior from Midland, MI), Carla Exoo (freshman from Blackstone, MA), Dean Exoo (senior from Blackstone, MA), Josh Jonkman (freshman from Highland, IN), Matt Jonkman (senior from Highland, IN), Mike Kornelis (freshman from Visalia, CA), Tim Opperwall (freshman from Wyoming, MI), Julianne Opperwall (junior from Wyoming, MI) and Cassie Yonker (sophomore from Madeira, OH).