Freshmen enrollment, ACT scores up for fall 2007
Contact: Christina Chapple
9/12/07
HAMMOND – For the second consecutive year, a record number of new freshmen have enrolled at Southeastern Louisiana University. The fall 2007 new freshmen headcount of 2,908 is a 6 percent increase over last fall’s record-setting 2,743, university officials said today (Sept. 12).
The new freshmen totals are among a number of encouraging factors in the fall 2007 enrollment profile, released following the 14th class day. The total enrollment of 14,757 encompasses overall increases in new undergraduate students and in freshmen ACT composite scores, said President Randy Moffett.
The total number of new undergraduates increased 6.2 percent, from 3,430 to 3,644, while the freshmen ACT composite score is up one-tenth of a point to 21.2.
“We are pleased with our current enrollment profile. It is what we anticipated based on the higher admission standards that we have implemented over the last few years,” Moffett added. “It has always been our belief that while raising admissions standards may slightly reduce or plateau our overall student numbers, it ultimately provides a greater rate of success for students both while they’re in school and once they graduate.”
“Southeastern has seen our freshmen ACT scores increase steadily since we began implementing admission standards in 2000,” Moffett added. “A one-tenth of a point increase in composite scores is significant. We have also realized an increase of more than 33 percent in our graduation rates over the past four years. We are very pleased to see that we are continuing to meet our goal of attracting more well prepared students and guiding them toward graduation in a timely, successful manner.”
He said Southeastern continues to work closely with Louisiana’s community colleges to provide educational access for students who do not yet meet Southeastern’s admission’s requirements. While the university’s policies of tightening admission standards and academic appeals, implementing academic requirements for housing and strictly adhering to application deadlines may initially impact overall enrollment, ultimately, “they will set the stage for future success,” Moffett said.
Moffett also said he was pleased to see the number of highly qualified students with ACT scores of 24 and above – a number that jumped 25 percent last fall -- has remained steady at 523, representing a more than 116 percent increase since 2000.
“Over the last several years, we have shown steady increases in attracting these students with special scholarships and a large number of opportunities to pursue undergraduate research and creative activities with our faculty,” he said.
The fall 2007 enrollment profile also shows an increase in the number of students from the parishes of St. Tammany (3,198), Livingston (1,812), Jefferson (1,030), and Ascension (728) with Tangipahoa (2,712) and East Baton Rouge (2,105) rounding out the top six feeder parishes.
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