Enrollment second highest in school history

Northwestern College’s enrollment is the second highest in school history, with 1,315 attending classes this fall.

Northwestern has 1,271 students enrolled full time and an FTE (full-time equivalent) of 1,285.

This year’s freshman class has a stellar academic record, with a mean composite ACT score of 25 and 31 percent of the students having graduated in the top 10 percent of their high school class.

“Because we were at maximum capacity due to last year’s record enrollment, we were able to be more selective in accepting incoming students,” says Mark Bloemendaal, director of admissions. “As a result, we recruited one of the best academic classes in the history of Northwestern.”

Strong retention of students was one of the factors in Northwestern’s high enrollment. Records were set with 71 percent of the students who were freshmen in 2005 returning for their junior year, and with a 66 percent freshman-to-senior retention rate.

“Students are finding that Northwestern is meeting their academic expectations and faculty and staff are providing the kind of experience they anticipated they would receive,” says Bloemendaal.

This year’s enrollment figures show an increase in the percentage of male students and American ethnic minorities. Thirty states and 20 foreign countries are represented in the student body. Fifty-three percent of Northwestern’s students are from Iowa.

Northwestern’s enrollment has increased by 27 percent over the last 15 years and 12 percent over the last decade.