ATLANTA — Agnes Scott College’s fall enrollment has broken records, topping several of the college’s previous bests.
The fall first-year class (with 237 students) is the fifth largest in the college’s history. With 18 students—more than double last year’s enrollment—the college also has the highest number of Latina first-years ever. And 25 of this fall’s first-year students are international, hailing from countries such as Myanmar, New Zealand, China, El Salvador, Vietnam and Haiti—a record number. Total enrollment is 881 students.
At a time when many private colleges are struggling to maintain enrollment, Agnes Scott received more than 2000 applications, its highest number of applications for admission ever.
Among this year’s first-year class, 33 percent graduated in the top 10 percent or better of their class and the class’s mean high school GPA was 3.57. The college’s first-years were also more socioeconomically diverse than those at many public institutions—about 70 percent qualified for and received need-based financial aid.
“We’re delighted by the size, diversity, and quality of this first-year class,” said Elizabeth Kiss, president of Agnes Scott. “We’ve worked hard to make the college affordable and accessible while maintaining our academic standards, and that hard work has paid dividends. This year’s class is just as bright as the last but the students are even more diverse in multiple ways—whether it’s their country of origin, their racial or ethnic background or their family’s income.”
“Our campus community is much richer this fall thanks to all our new students and the hard work of our Agnes Scott community to bring them here,” Kiss added.
The college’s undergrads represent 45 states and territories and 27 countries. One third of Agnes Scott students are underrepresented minorities; and more than half will study abroad before they graduate.
This year, the number of entering students from Georgia rose by 37 percent. The college ramped up efforts to attract in-state students by introducing a new financial aid program titled The Agnes Solution. This program provides scholarships that cover half of a Georgia HOPE-eligible student’s Agnes Scott tuition, as well as a $3,000 Agnes Advantage Award that can be used for an internship, to study abroad or for mentored research after a student completes her sophomore year.
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Agnes Scott College educates women to think deeply, live honorably and engage the intellectual and social challenges of their times. Students are drawn to Agnes Scott by its excellent academic reputation, exceptional faculty, and metropolitan Atlanta location – offering myriad cultural and experiential learning opportunities. A diverse and growing residential community of scholars, this highly selective liberal arts and sciences college is known for its dynamic and challenging intellectual community. Encouraging students to engage the wider world through study abroad and presenting its curriculum with international context, Agnes Scott College delivers on its promise: The World for Women.