Wilson has enrolled 141 new students – including first-year and transfer students – which is up from 100 last fall and is the most since 1973, when 137 new students enrolled at the college.

“This is good news for Wilson College and the entire community,” said Wilson President Barbara K. Mistick. “Growth in our enrollment means a more vibrant, financially sustainable Wilson College and increased numbers of students on our campus benefit the community in many ways, including from an economic standpoint.”

College officials point to a number of reasons for the increased enrollment, including Wilson’s value plan – which includes tuition reduction and a student debt buyback plan – as well as the addition of programs, infrastructure improvements and the move to coeducation, which opened enrollment to men across all programs and increased interest among women who would not consider attending a women’s college.

“The whole campus is energized that the Wilson Today plan (put in place by the Wilson College Board of Trustees in January 2013) is beginning to bear fruit,” Mistick said. “The progress is the result of the entire Wilson community coming together to make the plan successful. And with our continued commitment, we expect to see an even greater effect on overall enrollment moving forward.”

That’s because this year’s junior and senior classes are particularly small and as those classes graduate, the effect on total enrollment should be significantly noticeable, according to college officials.

Wilson College has its largest enrollment in the traditional undergraduate program – which includes most students who live on campus – since 1999, when 338 students were enrolled in that part of the college. This year, a total of 334 are enrolled in the traditional undergraduate college, an increase of 26 students from a year ago. Men represent 8.4 percent of the traditional undergraduate college population and 15.4 percent of the total enrollment.

A total of 273 students are enrolled in Wilson’s Adult Degree Program for those who’ve been out of high school for at least four years. That number includes students enrolled in Wilson’s new nursing program, which exceeded its enrollment goals for fall. Another 152 students are enrolled in Wilson’s graduate programs, a 67 percent increase over last year’s 91 graduate students. Wilson’s master’s degree programs include accounting, education, fine arts, management in healthcare sustainability and the humanities.

“The increase in the number of new students this year is due to students being attracted to a coed Wilson College, in combination with hard work and dedication on the part of the recruitment staff, our coaches, faculty, staff and students,” said Wilson Vice President for Enrollment Mary Ann Naso. “I am confident that we will continue to experience progress and growth.”

In addition to reducing tuition, adding programs, upgrading facilities and expanding coeducation, the college has implemented increased marketing efforts, which have substantially improved Wilson’s visibility.

Wilson’s enrollment increase comes at a time when national higher education enrollment is slowing. According to a U.S. Census Bureau report issued Sept. 24 (School Enrollment in the United States: 2013), enrollment at four-year institutions was up just 1 percent from 2012 to 2013 and college enrollment overall declined for the second straight year.

Wilson students come from as far away as California, Texas and Arkansas. They represent 17 states (including Pennsylvania), as well as 14 foreign countries: Armenia, Canada, China, France, Gaza, Ghana, South Korea, Nepal, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, Tunisia, Uruguay and Vietnam.

Wilson College was founded as a women’s college in 1869. In 1982, the college added a continuing education program that allowed qualifying men and women to attend classes. This fall, coeducation was expanded to include the residential undergraduate program of the college.

CONTACT: Cathy Mentzer, Manager of Media Relations
Phone: 717-262-2604
Email: cathy.mentzer@wilson.edu

Last Updated: October 6, 2014