Diversity and high satisfaction characterize Goshen College’s new and returning students

GOSHEN, Ind. — As classes began on Sept. 3, diversity and high satisfaction characterized Goshen College’s new and returning students, according to statistics released this week.

Fall 2012 enrollment statistics at Goshen College show a total head count of 923 students attending full or part time and taking courses, seeking graduate degrees or seeking degrees through Goshen’s Division of Adult and External Studies (DAES), according to Goshen College Registrar Stan Miller.

Of the total this year, there are 879 students enrolled in the undergraduate program and 44 students enrolled in the college’s two graduate programs — a Master of Science degree in Nursing and a Master of Education degree in Environmental Education.

Retention – a key measure of student satisfaction – continues to be high at Goshen College. The latest figures show that 84 percent of the 2011-12 first-year students are enrolled this fall.

The college is continuing to move closer to its goal of increasing diversity among its student body. The freshman class is more diverse than the rest of campus, with 40 percent of students being international (15 percent), Asian (1 percent), African American (4 percent), Hispanic (12 percent) or multiracial (6 percent). In contrast, the campus as a whole is 73 percent Caucasian.

Profile of Goshen College’s new students:

• Average grade point average is 3.44 on a 4.0 scale
• 58 percent female, 42 percent male.
• 48 percent come from Indiana
• 116 high schools, 27 denominations and 13 countries are represented
• The top declared majors are nursing, biology, and physics.