Q&A Fall 2012 Enrollment

Q&A for Families about Fall 2012 Enrollment

Many of you are already aware that we will have a larger than normal on-campus enrollment this fall. Due to some positive indicators, we are anticipating 100 more students on campus this fall as compared to previous years.  A campus wide team has been working on plans to accommodate the larger campus enrollment this summer. We offer the following FAQs to address any concerns that you may have.

How many students are usually in the first-year class and how many are there this year?
720 was the target for first-year enrollment. We project that this year’s first year-class will be between 770 and 775 students.  

Why is the incoming class of 2016 larger?
All Colleges accept more students than choose to enroll, and this year the number of accepted students who chose Gettysburg rose by 2 % over last year. In addition, our retention of upper-class students has been strong, reflecting our students’ high level of satisfaction with their experience at Gettysburg and contributing to an increased number of students on campus this fall. While these both reflect positively on Gettysburg College’s reputation and quality, we must ensure that every student has an extraordinary academic and co-curricular experience.

How many students will be on campus this fall?
We expect to have just over 2600 students on campus this fall, which is about 100 more students than last year.  

Are we growing enrollment?
The College does not have plans to grow enrollment. Our goal is to stabilize enrollment at 2,450 students on campus and approximately 200 students studying off-campus during the next several years.

Will class size increase?
The Provost’s team is working with academic departments to ensure that the average class size does not increase and that the appropriate number of course sections is offered to meet the needs of our students.

Have all students been accommodated for housing?
All first-year students will live on-campus and the First-Year Seminar program, with its residential component, will continue as planned. Unlike other schools who find themselves in similar situations, we have not converted any current singles to doubles, or doubles to triples as living quarters.
 
For upper-class students, we have renovated and increased the number of residences in buildings the College owns that are adjacent to campus and have also added to the number of residences we typically lease.

How will the increase in the number of students affect the dining options?
We expect the dining hall to be crowded as normal during the first few weeks of the semester. To help alleviate the longer lines, Dining Services will add additional options on campus, such as an increased menu in Commons for “to go” options.

Will the overall student experience be impacted?
All summer, a campus wide team has been working on plans to accommodate the larger enrollment. The charge from the President has been clear: every one of our students must have the excellent experience associated with being a Gettysburg College student.  That group will continue to monitor and make adjustments to ensure our students’ success and satisfaction.

Please contact the following individuals with additional questions:

Academics:
Jack Ryan, Vice Provost
jryan@gettysburg.edu

Enrollment:
Barbara Fritze, Vice President for Enrollment and Educational Services
bfritze@gettysburg.edu

Dining Services:
Peter North, Director of Auxiliary Services
pnorth@gettysburg.edu

Housing:
Victor Arcelus, Assistant Dean of College Life & Director of Residence Life
varcelus@gettysburg.edu