Lawrence Today magazine, Spring 2006
In 2004-05,
Lawrence received a record number of first-year applications for admission,
2,068, and, as a result, has admitted the largest class of new students in
more than 30 years: a total of 433 (404 freshmen and 29 transfer students).
“This
large class has enabled Lawrence to reach its enrollment goal of 1,400 students
a few years ahead of schedule,” says Kenneth Anselment,
director of admissions. (Pictured, left.)
“That will have some implications for next year, when it will necessitate
enrolling a smaller class of new students in order to keep the university at
that total
enrollment number, which may prove particularly challenging, considering the
increases in application activity we have seen over the past few years,” Anselment
adds.
The number of new students is up, but not at the expense of the class’s
traditionally strong academic profile. Nearly one-quarter, 24 percent, of the
class ranked in the top five percent of their high school graduating classes.
Twenty-one of the incoming freshmen were class valedictorians, and 37 received
National Merit recognition. As a group, they achieved an average ACT score
of 28.
“This year’s class is collectively one of the highest-achieving
groups of students Lawrence has seen in quite awhile,” Anselment says. “Both
our average ACT and SAT scores are up, which, interestingly, is a nice way
to cap things off in our last year of requiring standardized tests for admission
and scholarships.”
Lawrence announced in February 2005 that the college would no longer require
standardized test scores for admission consideration, relying instead on its
time-tested standard of “multiple intelligences” when reviewing
a student’s application for admission.
The class of new students is almost as geographically diverse as it is academically
talented. Thirty-four states and 14 countries — among them
China, Ghana, and Tanzania — are represented, and the 404 freshmen hail
from 309 different high schools.
Ninety-three percent of the first-year students were awarded need-based or
merit-based financial assistance, with awards averaging $22,600.
“Although
we will need to be more selective in admission, we are one of a declining number
of colleges that still admit students without regard
to their financial
circumstances and that meet their full institutional financial need,” says
Steve Syverson, dean of admissions and financial aid. (Pictured, right.)
“We remain committed to making a Lawrence education affordable to the
best and the brightest students, regardless of their family’s income.”
