New student quality went up from last year, Yale says saya

Slippery Rock University exceeded the enrollment goal for freshmen and transfer students for the fall 2011 semester.

Amanda Yale, the associate provost for enrollment services, stated that Slippery Rock University has enrolled 2,147 new freshmen and transfer students for the fall semester.  The quality indicators are up as well, Yale said.  

She said that almost 14 percent of freshmen were in the top 10 percent of their high school classes, which is up nearly 1 percent from last fall.  The average grade point average of incoming freshmen is 3.47, which increased about one point from the previous year, Yale said.

While those numbers show improvement from the previous class, other statistics dropped off.

The percentage of freshmen that were in the top 25 percent of their class is at 41 percent, down almost 2 percent from last fall.  Yale also stated that the SAT average of freshmen dropped three points from 1,018 last fall to 1,015 this fall.

The quality of students accepted to SRU was one thing President Robert Smith refused to compromise on, even with the current financial situation.

"There are a lot of students we didn't admit because they didn't have the high school qualifications," President Smith said.

President Smith went on to say how other state schools lowered the standards of students they admit to make up for the statewide budget cuts.

Genna Miller, a new freshman at SRU, said that she chose Slippery Rock because of its reputation as a quality school and the strength of its music therapy program.  

"I've heard it's better than some of the colleges that are known for music therapy," Miller said.  

While tuition wasn't the most important factor, the dorms were a huge part of her decision to choose Slippery Rock, according to Miller.

"I realized how much I really liked the campus and how nice it was, and how good of a support system they have for freshmen," Miller said.

While the campus played a big role in attracting Miller to SRU as a freshman, Chelsea Heckel, a transfer student from IUP and CCAC, said that she chose Slippery Rock because they have a better education program than her previous colleges.  

"I'm trying to get a job in the state so I don't have to move," Heckel said. "And I've heard schools in the state look for Slippery Rock on employment applications."

There are a lot of reasons students choose to come to SRU, according to President Smith.

"We want this to be a friendly, welcoming, fun place," President Smith said. "People are so nice and friendly here, why wouldn't you want to be here?"

Freshmen applications increased by about 7 percent this semester, and transfer applications rose by 17 percent.