Review of the Fall 2009
Admissions Experience
We began the fall 2009 admissions cycle over a year ago with some anxiety derived primarily from the challenging economy and related financial concerns (for students, families and UNH) and a recognition of shifting demographic trends. These issues proved to be legitimate concerns for all of us through the course of the year and into the summer. We have, however, enrolled a first year and transfer class that meets most everyone’s expectations and needs. As I write, we currently have 3,062 first year students and 645 transfer students actively enrolled. I imagine that by our census date in late September these figures will decline to approximately 3,000 first year students and 600 transfer students. These figures are slightly above our original enrollment targets of 2,900 first year and 550 transfer students.
Also noteworthy is the diversity of this year’s first year class. Currently, 218 first year students, or 7.15% of the class, are students from underrepresented racial and ethnic minority groups. These students represent record figures for UNH and are particularly impressive given the overall size of the entering class.
The following provides a numerical summary of our first year student admissions experience.
Applications Accepted Enrolled Accept Rate Yield Rate
NH resident 4704 3729 1647 79.3% 44.3%
Non-resident 11427 7853 1415 68.7% 18.1%
Totals 16131 11582 3062 71.8% 26.4%
Our applications declined slightly last year by 116 applications (-0.7%), with a slight increase from NH residents off-set by a slight decrease from non-residents. We will again be reaching out to all qualified NH residents to encourage them to seriously consider the range of possibilities available at UNH.
We continue to see strong interest from other New England and Mid-Atlantic states in both our applicant and enrolled student pools. Our goal this year was to enroll 52% of our first year class with New Hampshire residents. The actual enrolled figure is running ahead of this goal and is currently 53.7% New Hampshire residents.
Academic Profile
The academic profile of our enrolling students remains fairly constant (again)—most successful students present a B/B+ average and have completed a strong college prep program of study which includes the equivalent of 3-4 years in each of the core subjects—English, mathematics, science, social science and foreign languages. The average class rank of our entering first year class declined slightly from the prior year. Enrolling students were typically in the top 22% of their classes.
The average SAT and ACT scores for enrolling students follow. UNH will utilize all three sections of the SAT for admissions and admissions-related decisions (honors program and merit scholarships) during the coming cycle.
Average SAT scores:
SAT Critical Reading 553
SAT Mathematics 570
SAT Writing 554
Total 1677 (8 point increase over last year’s average)
Average ACT composite score is 24 (unchanged from last year). 445 students (14.5%) of our enrolled student population submitted ACT scores.
Application Review Process
We are confident that our admissions process emphasizes appropriate criteria when examining student credentials. Our retention rate for students returning to their second year in college is at a record high—currently 89%, well above the retention rate of our peer institutions. Our retention rate is the product of many things working well—admissions efforts, advising, residential life, faculty engagement, campus life, and, of course, student commitment to their academics, to name but a few reasons for this success. UNH will continue to focus on the student experience to insure that our students have successful and meaningful college careers.
Outlook for Fall 2010
This fall our staff is visiting over 450 high schools in New England, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, and Washington D.C. Check-out http://admissions.unh.edu/visit-campus/unh-on-the-road/ to see where we will be!
Our plan for fall 2010 is to enroll approximately 2,900 first-year students. I do not anticipate any significant increase in applications given the demographics facing this region. Any demographic decline we anticipate will be offset, I think, by a greater interest in UNH driven by its relative appeal due to cost and programmatic considerations. Our emphasis in the admissions process remains the same—a student’s transcript (courses selected, level of difficulty of courses and achievement) will still be the driving force in making all admission decisions and will be emphasized above all other components of the application.
Standardized testing will continue to have a minor role in the admissions process at UNH. Rarely, if ever, will a student’s performance on a standardized test be a significant factor in our deliberations for admission. Grades, courses and patterns of performance will always carry the most significant weight in our decision making. Standardized testing will continue to play an important role when considering eligibility for the Honors Program and Merit Scholarships managed by the Admissions Office. As mentioned in an earlier letter sent this spring, UNH will utilize all three components of the SAT in our admission deliberations.
We will continue to accept students to the University of New Hampshire (as opposed to specific programs, which implies differential admissions criteria for different academic programs), with admissions criteria being the same for all majors (with the exception of nursing) and a greater emphasis on quantitative skills for students interested in business programs and engineering, physical and life sciences. This acknowledges the fluidity of student academic interests in the early part of their college careers.