NEWS

Newberry College welcomed a record-breaking 471 new students in its incoming class for fall 2018, making it fourth time in the past five years that the College has achieved a new enrollment milestone for its incoming class. 

With 377 freshmen, Newberry’s incoming class charted an astonishing 5.4 percent increase in first-time freshmen, along with 75 transfer students and 10 readmitted students. The incoming class tally also included 14 students enrolled in the College’s recently launched online degree-completion programs for adult learners. 

“This year’s enrollment result is particularly gratifying,” said Newberry College president Dr. Maurice Scherrens. “As we continue to focus on the quality and relevance of the educational experience we offer, students increasingly are understanding the value of earning a Newberry College degree.”

Newberry also reached a new high point in overall enrollment with a fall headcount of 1,212  students, including 1,179 full-time students. The result toppled last year’s double-digit percentage increases for both overall enrollment (1,190) and full-time students (1,157).

ENROLLMENT FAST FACTS

South Carolina residents account for 75 percent of total enrollment.
Non-resident students hail from 28 states, drawn primarily from the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic regions. Top five states by enrollment are North Carolina, Florida, Georgia, Maryland and Virginia. 
International enrollment accounted for 5 percent of the student population and come from 23 countries and six continents. Canada, Australia, Germany, United Kingdom and Ecuador account for the largest proportion of international students. 

Interim Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Sid Parrish noted that putting greater emphasis on informing prospective students about secondary areas of interest helped tip the scales for fall enrollment. 

“We’re good at sharing information about majors with prospective students, but we weren’t connecting with them as well on areas of interest– everything from marching band to bass fishing, which appeal to students across all majors,” Parrish said. “Helping students connect the dots between areas of study and areas of interest made a difference in the number of prospective students who committed to Newberry College.” 

Newberry faculty and staff also have deepened their involvement throughout the recruitment and enrollment process. 

“For a school like Newberry College, where personal attention is an important part of our brand promise, this one-on-one interaction with faculty and staff gives students a sense of our student-centered approach,” Parrish said. 

In the competitive higher education landscape, Newberry College has continued to focus on providing students with a top-quality education that is competitively priced. 

“Newberry’s commitment to financial transparency allows the College to provide a customized financial aid award based on a family’s needs,” said Christopher Harris, dean of Enrollment Management. “Coupled with our Loan Repayment Promise, families are finding that our strong private liberal arts education is attainable for their educational goals.”

The College’s emphasis on value and affordability also was reflected in the 2019 U.S. News and World Report Best Colleges report released earlier this week. Newberry College moved up to the #3 spot in the Best Value for Regional Colleges in the South rankings and made its second consecutive appearance on the unranked list, Least Debt at Graduation for Regional Colleges in the South. The College also moved up to the #12 spot in the Best Regional Colleges in the South category and was included in the unranked list, Schools With the Most International Students. 

“Passion, purpose and personal attention is our promise to students, and we strive to live out that promise every day,” Scherrens said. “Our dedication to this pledge is making us a college of first choice among prospective students.”