GW is not alone planning ways to fit a large number of unexpected students onto its campus, as other area universities and market basket competitors report larger-than-expected freshmen classes.
The University of Maryland now expects to enroll 465 more students than it planned, with a total 4,565 freshmen, said Jim Christensen, interim director of admissions.
Christensen said Maryland’s yield hit an unprecedented high of 42 percent, four percent jump from last year. GW’s yield increased six points to 35 percent for its incoming class.
Christensen attributes the spike in the yield rate to the economic slowdown and the school’s improving academic reputation. He said students recognized Maryland as a better dollar value when they compared the school to some of the more expensive private universities in the D.C. area.
Fifth-year seniors at Maryland will be released from their housing agreements and encouraged to find off-campus housing, and the university will convert many on-campus double rooms to triples to house the extra students, Christensen said.
Dave Seaver, associate director of admissions at Tulane University in New Orleans, said the school’s 1,350 freshmen were expected, but Tulane “grossly over-admitted the last two years.”
Tulane accepted 47 percent of its 10,700 applicants this year. The applicant pool grew 2,400 students from last year. GW accepted 49 percent of its applicants for the past five years. Its applicant pool grew 1,233 to 16,000 from last year
Tulane’s admissions office limited its freshmen class by placing many students on a large waiting list, Seaver said. The school filled any empty spots by pulling from the list after May 1.
“Even with some of the summer `melt-off’ we should be right where we need to be,” Seaver said.
Georgetown University got the number it planned to enroll this year, admission officials said. The school expects a freshman class of 1,480 from an applicant pool of 15,300, said Karen Stroud, associate director of admissions.
Stroud said Georgetown had a normal yield rate of about 50 percent and an acceptance rate of 20 percent.
