Fresh faces: Student body grows for ninth consecutive fall semester

For the first time, Virginia Commonwealth University ranks second in enrollment among Virginia state universities following close behind first-ranked George Mason University.

This semester VCU enrolled 28,462 students compared to the 26,770 it enrolled in fall 2003, making a net gain of 1,692. It was the ninth consecutive fall enrollment increase and a 31 percent increase since 1996, President Eugene P. Trani said at the Nov. 11 VCU Board of Visitors meeting.

Trani told the board members it is “another healthy year” for VCU enrollment even though the number of graduating high school seniors in Virginia declined in 2004.

Henry G. Rhone, vice provost for student affairs and enrollment services, attributed the increase to VCU now being recognized more as a quality institution.

“Our marketing is paying off (and) attracting students from a larger area,” Rhone said. “People know about our wide range of programs.”

This fall, VCU welcomed 3,364 first-year students, the largest freshman class in the school’s history.

“VCU has been able to maintain the size of the incoming freshman class, while maintaining both quality and diversity,” Trani said, reporting that the fall freshman class includes 1,245 minority students, who represent 37 percent of all incoming students.

The mean overall high-school grade-point-average for freshman reached 3.21, higher than the 3.18 GPA of the 2003 class despite a one-point decline in SAT scores from 1066 to 1065.

“Since 1996, the average SAT score has increased from 1002 to 1065,” Trani said. “The average high school GPA has increased from 2.96 to 3.21.”

Freshman applications, he said, increased 4 percent from the previous year, while the acceptance rate hit 74 percent, down 8 percent since 1996.

Fairfax County in Northern Virginia accounted for more members of the 2004 freshman class than any other county or city in Virginia, Trani told the board.

“The number of freshman from Fairfax County increased again this year,” he said, adding that the number has increased 40 percent in the last two years alone.

Rhone said he thinks students from Fairfax County high schools are interested in attending VCU because the university has a lot to offer.

“VCU is very diverse, which attracts people from that area,” Rhone said. “We are a quality university within 100 miles.”

Trani said five more out-of-state freshmen enrolled this fall, with Maryland and New York having the highest numbers. Fifty-one Maryland students and 33 New York students walked on VCU’s campuses this fall.

Another factor affecting the enrollment figure concerns the higher number of students from community colleges and from senior institutions who now transfer to the urban university. VCU enrolled 1,834 transfer students this year compared to 1,589 last year, while graduate students climbed from 4,593 to 4,694.

Rhone, a former community college administrator, called VCU “a good option” for students who transfer from community colleges.

“A large portion (of transfer students) come from community colleges,” Rhone said. “VCU is a good fit for them.”