Freshman class make-up and low enrollment

EMMA FIGLEWICZ
PHOTO EDITOR

9/16/2024

As summer wraps up, Alma College opens its doors to the incoming class of 2028. Over the past year, the admissions team here on campus has worked hard to bring a diverse new group of students to Alma. 

“Our team travels to high schools and college fairs to meet with prospective students. They host dinners with faculty, staff and coaches. We also host a variety of on campus events and visits to educate students about all that Alma has to offer,” said Shelly Buschle, Senior Director of Recruitment. 

Currently, there are 327 new students enrolled for this upcoming school year. 295 of these students are domestic and international freshman and the other 32 have transferred from other schools. 

Internationally, 12 countries are represented within this year’s freshman class make-up: Canada, Colombia, India, Morocco, Oman, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Thailand, United Kingdom, United States and Vietnam. 

Domestically, 20 states are represented within this year’s make-up as well: AK, CA, DE, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, MI, MO, NC, NE, NJ, NY, OH, RI, SC, TX, WA and WI. 

Although the Admissions team worked hard to bring as many students as possible to Alma the enrollment size was smaller than expected. 

“We were planning for around 400 students this fall. This year, the Department of Education’s failed rollout of the new FAFSA application has made a difficult situation all the worse,” said Buschle. “Current estimates indicate 10-15% fewer students will attend college this fall. This disruption has particularly affected students who rely on financial aid to attend college.” 

Across the nation college campuses are all experiencing ramifications from lower student enrollment. 

“The ongoing decline in the number of high school graduates across the country, with Michigan hit especially hard, will continue to challenge us for a decade or more,” said Buschle. 

Although enrollment sizes may be lower than expected, Alma has many enticing qualities that draw in students from across the world every year. 

“Students love the small class sizes and opportunity to connect with faculty. They also appreciate the opportunities for travel, internships as well as research. Our experiential learning opportunities really set us apart from other institutions,” said Buschle. 

“The driving forces for students that want to become Scots starts with the ample number of travel, research and hands on learning opportunities we offer along with the family like atmosphere from the faculty, staff and students that really makes Alma feel like your home away from home, said Daniel Barr, Assistant Director of Transfer Admissions. 

“When I was looking at colleges back in Canada, I couldn’t find any schools that offered as many travel opportunities as Alma does. The grants and scholarships that the college gives students to work on humanitarian work and internships is unmatched,” said Megan Black (’28). 

Additionally, Alma has a strong presence of student athletes on campus. Within the class of new students, 241 are student-athletes. 

“Athletics are a big draw for students to come to Alma. We offer a wide variety of athletic teams to choose from so that they do not have to give up their sport. Faculty, staff and coaches work well together to help ensure student athletes are able to excel in both their academics as well as athletics,” said Buschle.