AU saw a 10 percent increase in applicants this year with a record number of 18,719 freshman applications, the most in University history, according to University officials.
About 41 percent of applicants were admitted for the class of 2015, according to Director of Admissions Greg Grauman. There were 17,325 applicants for the fall 2011 semester, 400 more students than in fall 2010, according to Grauman.
AU’s class of 2015 target enrollment is 1,550 students, according to Grauman.
Last year, 43.5 percent of AU's 16,925 applicants were admitted — a total of 7,357 students.
Grauman added that the increase in the number of applications to nearly 19,000 allowed for a more competitive pool.
“We also were able to be more selective because we believe a higher percentage of students admitted will accept our offer,” Grauman said in an e-mail. “When an institution increases its yield rate, they are then also able to lower their admit rate as fewer admitted students are needed to ensure the enrollment target is met.”
A yield rate is the percentage of admitted students who choose to attend a university.
More students are also saying that AU is their first choice, according to Karen Froslid-Jones, director of Institutional Research and Development.
Grauman said AU looks for students who put the University as their number one choice, are intellectually curious and are "wonks" who can handle the rigor of academics. However, the University's admissions process involves more than numbers on an application.
"In the past, we might have admitted a student who academically hit the bar … a student that we know could do the work," he said. "We might get that same student now and realize from what we see in their application, from what we understand about them, we’re not seeing the fit for American University."
$92 million: in financial aid
The class of 2015 was offered over $92 million in financial aid, an increase from last year, Grauman said. AU Central officials said numbers for that increase in aid are not yet available.
35.5: percent of admitted students who identify as multicultural
About 33.5 percent of the class of 2015 reported they were multicultural — defined as permanent U.S. citizens who identify as non-white — compared to 29.5 percent of the class of 2014.
There was also a 24 percent increase in the number of admitted African-Americans and 33 percent in admitted Hispanics for the class of 2015.
The Office of Admissions is working to make each incoming class more diverse by including more domestic minorities and plans to visit high schools with significant multicultural populations and strong academic achievement, according to Grauman.
69: days AU spent recruiting in 14 countries
The University defines some of its campus diversity by its international student base and has continued to recruit globally, Grauman said. AU spent 69 days recruiting in 14 countries, visiting 78 different schools.
AU Admissions has also made efforts to recruit local students by participating in area college fairs and inviting D.C. public school counselors to campus for a professional development day, according to Grauman.
20.5: percent increase in D.C. students admitted to AU
There was a 38.5 percent increase in the number of D.C. students that applied to AU, and a 20.5 increase in the number of D.C. students admitted to AU, Grauman said.
3.9: GPA average for class of 2015
The average student in the class of 2015 has a 3.9 GPA and scored a 1300 on the SAT. The average class of 2014 student had a 3.87 GPA and scored a 1300 on the SAT. The incoming freshman class will be the strongest academically in AU history, Grauman said.
lgiangreco@theeagleonline.com
