Ashland makes significant gains in traditional undergraduate enrollment

ASHLAND, Ohio – Ashland University welcomed nearly 600 new full-time traditional undergraduate students this fall, marking considerable gains both in the number of freshmen and the number of transfers compared to last year, all while improving its academic profile.

The 508 freshmen that form the Class of 2027 represent a 9.0% increase over last fall’s class, while transfers were up 12.5%. The total class marks a 9.4% jump from last year, and the group came together from more than 4,000 applications.

“I believe the increased enrollment is due to a variety of factors, including a multi-million-dollar investment into campus facilities by several generous donors, a significant focus on making Ashland University affordable through improved financial aid packages and an outstanding, collaborative recruitment team that believes in and demonstrates daily what ‘Accent on the Individual’ means here at Ashland University,” said Keith Ramsdell, vice president of enrollment management and marketing.

Academically, the new students came in above the Fall 2022 cohort with the average high school GPA of incoming freshmen rising to 3.57 from 3.53. Similarly, the average ACT score was 23.2, up slightly from 23.0 a year ago.

Those impressive numbers may be due to record enrollment in both Ashland’s Honors Program and Ashbrook Scholars program.

“This is truly an exceptional first-year class. It’s been exciting to feel the energy as our new and continuing students have arrived on campus this fall,” added Ramsdell. “AU is truly a special place, where students thrive while being taught ‘how to think, not what to think.’ There’s a lot of demand for what we have to offer.”

Ashland has also stabilized its total undergraduate enrollment by improving its retention rate for the second consecutive year. Seventy-four percent of the freshmen students who enrolled last fall are continuing to pursue a degree on campus.

Ashland University is a mid-sized, private university conveniently located a short distance from Akron, Cleveland and Columbus, Ohio. Ashland University (www.ashland.edu) values the individual student and offers a unique educational experience that combines the challenge of strong applied academic programs with a faculty and staff who build nurturing relationships with their students.