Saint Vincent College Freshman Applications Increase 37%

LATROBE, PA – More students are seeking admission to Saint Vincent College than ever before, College officials announced today, with a record high of 1,757 applications — an increase of 37% from last year — received for admission for the fall of 2007.

College officials also announced that in response to the pressures that spiraling out-of-pocket costs can have on a family budget, costs for 2007-2008 will increase only 4.7% — a figure below that of other colleges and universities. "Our values at Saint Vincent compel us to respond to the concerns of students and their parents and keep college affordable," President Towey said. "This past year, the College awarded more than $17 million in scholarships and grants to enable students to pursue their education here."

The surge in applications at Saint Vincent comes as no surprise to College officials. "The fact that more students are not only taking a good look, but applying for admission is fresh evidence that the Saint Vincent success story is getting out," said David Collins, Assistant Vice President for Admission and Financial Aid. "This excitement is heightened by the campus expectation that the President of the United States will be our Commencement speaker this year."

All four schools at Saint Vincent have seen increases in applications, with the largest increases at the School of Natural Sciences, Mathematics, and Computing (38%), the School of Social Sciences, Communication, and Education (37%), and the Alex G. McKenna School of Business, Economics, and Government (22%). Applicants without a declared major field of study have also increased substantially.

Because of the record number of applications, the College has for the first time created a waiting list for admission, and currently over 140 applicants have been wait-listed.

Mr. Collins suggested several factors that he believes have led to the record applications:

• Recruiting efforts: Recruitment activities have been expanded outside of the College’s traditional market in southwestern Pennsylvania to areas including Baltimore, MD, Northern Virginia, Washington, DC, Cleveland, OH and Philadelphia, PA. As a result, while Pennsylvania applications are up 22% and applications from contiguous states have increased by 28%, applications from other states have jumped 71%.

• Construction and campus upgrades: “Millions of dollars in campus development have resulted in one of the most attractive campus settings in the country,” said Mr. Collins. “Saint Vincent College's classrooms, science and computer laboratories, library, new residence halls and apartments, student center, fitness center, swimming pool, student chapel and so many other facilities are definitely among the best you will see anywhere, and the $14 million Fred Rogers Center is under construction right now."

• New Website: Saint Vincent launched a new website in January that has attracted record Internet traffic. "We are one of the few college or university sites that offers a lot of video," said Mr. Collins, “with a short 'video of the day' featured on the home page along with a growing video archive. Our website also features posts from students and our own President’s blog."

• Towey Presidency: "Jim Towey became president in July and he has attracted a lot of national attention because he formerly worked with Mother Teresa of Calcutta, and right before he came here he was an Assistant to the President of the United States at the White House," Mr. Collins noted. In May, President Towey will accompany 12 students to Calcutta to experience the people and environment that shaped Mother Teresa's life.

• Return of football: After a 45-year absence, football’s return to Saint Vincent has sparked student interest. "There are many student-athletes who want a high-quality education and also want to play football," Mr. Collins said. "We are going to have an excellent program in the NCAA Division III Presidents' Athletic Conference."

Approximately 425 freshmen will be admitted for classes that begin in August 2007, bringing the College's enrollment to an all-time high of over 1,700. This record number follows the two largest freshman classes in the history of the College.

For Information:
Don Orlando
Director, Public Relations
Saint Vincent College
300 Fraser Purchase Road
Latrobe, PA 15650-2690
Phone 724 537-4560
FAX 724 537-4587
pr@stvincent.edu
www.stvincent.edu
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