BLOOMINGTON, Ill.— Enrollment at Illinois Wesleyan this fall totals 2,090, significantly above the University’s planning target of 2,050 and making this the 14th consecutive year enrollment has been above the 2,000 mark. Included in the total are 556 new students who were chosen from 3,523 applicants, the second highest number of applications in school history.
“We’re extremely pleased that we exceeded our enrollment target for the year, especially given the difficult national economy,” said President Richard F. Wilson “And, even more important than the numbers is the quality of those students. This year’s class, like those in previous years, is very strong academically with an average ACT of 28 (out of a possible 36) and a high school GPA of 3.8.“
Illinois Wesleyan enrollment includes students from 32 states and 22 foreign countries, including 166 students from McLean County. In addition, over the past seven years the University’s minority and international enrollment has doubled and now totals 20 percent of the student body. Contributing to Wesleyan’s enrollment success is a 97 percent retention rate, which places the University among the nation’s top schools for the proportion of students returning from one year to the next.