Elon’s enrollment has more than doubled since 1978. This is not necessarily because Elon is becoming less selective; however it is a sign that more Elon students return to the university year after year. Enrollment currently stands at 5,314 students.

Susan Klopman, dean of admissions and financial planning, affirmed that the sophomore retention rate is at 90 percent.

“We can’t get any higher than that,” she said.

Among the 2007 entering freshman class, 30 percent came from North Carolina, 14 percent from Virginia and 14 percent from Maryland. Virginia was the second most represented state at Elon for the past 10 years.

“Many North Carolina students decide to come to Elon on account of financial aid benefits and more readily available state funds,” Klopman said.

Elon’s admissions office received 9,338 freshman applications last year. Elon aims to enroll 1,275 freshmen annually.

“Understandably, we don’t always meet this on point. Last year, we enrolled 1,286,” Klopman said.

Admissions describes the typical Elon student as “a smart student with a good heart.”

Applicants are expected to have a B+ to A average and score at or around a 1650 on the new SAT.

The admissions process this year is different from previous years, as the writing portion of the SAT will carry equal weight as the reading and math sections. Last year, admissions used applicants’ writing scores to collect data and eventually set standards for how the section should be treated and in what range strong applicants should score.

The admissions office is expecting freshman applicants with similar academics, geographical location and leadership experience as is customarily received.

“We’ve already had admissions officers make visits in the New England area, and students are very eager to learn more about Elon,” Klopman said. “Students from outside of North Carolina hear about Elon from family members, and many come for an east coast liberal arts experience.”

Rosalie Trujillo, a freshman from Maine, learned about Elon from the Internet.

“I was really impressed with the service and engaged learning angle Elon took to education, which they spoke of at length on the Web site,” she said. “Because I live so far away, the first time I visited was when I arrived for orientation. I definitely wasn’t disappointed!”

Elon’s newly-opened law school in Greensboro also contributes to increasing student population, enrolling about 100 students yearly.

While enrollment numbers have increased steadily since 1978, Elon is not looking to expand considerably.

“We certainly don’t want to outgrow our facilities, I feel we are at a good size,” Klopman said.

Reporter: Amanda Duberman - 10/10/07