Press Releases
May 19, 2008Saint Mary’s College Expects Largest and Most Diverse Freshman Class
For Immediate ReleaseMORAGA, Calif. (May 19, 2008) – Saint Mary's College of California has received the highest number of deposits in its history for the 2008-09 freshman class, which also includes record-high levels of honors students, students of color and international students.
The fall 2008 undergraduate new-student enrollment data as of the May 1 national candidates reply date include the following notable statistics:
• First-year student deposits number 680, 10.2 percent higher than last year and 8.8 percent higher than the average for the previous four years.
• Total transfer deposits of 84 are slightly lower than last year’s total of 89 and the college’s four-year average of 102.
• Total undergraduate deposits of 764 suggest that the college will meet and most likely exceed its fall 2008 enrollment target of 750 new students. Current deposit totals project a new class of 625 first year and 150 transfer students.
• Commitments from high-ability students are at record-high levels. The 82 Honors-at-Entrance candidates are significantly higher than last year’s total of 67 and exceed the previous all-time high of 76 for fall 2005.
• 41 percent of deposited students are of color, compared to 37 percent at this point last year. They include 1.5 percent Native American, 6 percent African American, 11 percent Asian American and 22.6 percent Latino.
• Deposits from international students more than doubled to 18 for fall 2008.
• 25 percent of deposited new students are eligible for Pell Grants. That meets Saint Mary’s College’s institutional goal and Lasallian commitment to providing economically disadvantaged students with access to high quality education.
• 61 deposits from incoming freshmen who attended Lasallian high schools are a record level. This total includes five students from the first graduating class at San Miguel High School, the Christian Brothers' newest school in Tucson, and one student from Sacred Heart Cathedral Prep who graduated from De Marillac Academy, the Brothers' middle school in San Francisco’s Tenderloin neighborhood.
“Interest in Saint Mary’s is at an all-time high,” said Michael Beseda, Saint Mary’s Vice Provost for Enrollment. “I am confident that our actual enrollment numbers in the fall will continue to reflect these positive trends.”
Contact:
Media Relations
(925) 631-4222
media@stmarys-ca.edu
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Saint Mary’s College, founded in 1863, is a residential learning community in Moraga, California based in the Catholic, Lasallian and liberal arts traditions. The college currently enrolls more than 4,000 students in undergraduate and graduate programs. The Christian Brothers, an international Catholic teaching order, guides the academic growth and spiritual character of the school.
