enrollment
September 18, 2025
Enrollment remains high with first-year cohort
The 2025-26 first-year cohort brings 188 new students to Goshen College, with an additional 47 transfer students. Steve Wolma, vice president for enrollment management, said the main characteristics of this cohort include a higher average high school GPA and an 8% increase in the amount of people who have identified themselves as Mennonite. This has resulted in the distribution of 4% more Dean’s Academic Scholarships and double the number of Mennonites from the previous cohort. Enrollment remains high after the 2023-24 first-year cohort only brought in 156 students, the lowest number in over a decade. Since then, Wolma said, “We...
September 5, 2024
Admissions bounces back
Following a remarkably small incoming class in the fall of 2023, Goshen College saw a sharp enrollment spike this semester. This first-year class brought in 201 new students, the highest number since 2017. The shift was dramatic from last year’s freshman cohort of only 156; it marked an increase of almost 30%. When asked about the difference from 2023 to 2024, Ben Koop, a member of last year’s incoming class, said, “I think it’s more apparent to me now coming in as a sophomore that our class was smaller because I do notice that there are significantly more first-years this...
November 9, 2023
Enrollment dip, national trends hit humanities
With 695 students in traditional undergraduate programs and a freshmen class of 156 students, President Rebecca Stoltzfus is “dissatisfied” with enrollment numbers. The freshmen cohort is the lowest since 2002, according to the registrar’s office. Stoltzfus said, though, that “there’s nothing we’re focused on more than increasing undergraduate enrollment” and that some “early signs are looking up.” Steve Wolma, vice president for enrollment management, characterized the decline in students as a “dip, not a trend.” Wolma described how multiple factors were at play for last year’s dip: “a very thin year staff-wise … combined with a growing concern that college...
October 5, 2023
Adult, graduate enrollment surges
The number of students enrolled in adult and graduate programs at Goshen College this fall more than doubled from a year ago, driven significantly by a demand from local schools for teachers, and especially teachers who specialize in working with students for whom English is their second language. GC enrolled 102 students in adult and graduate programs this fall, a 149% increase from 41 one year ago. The program has a variety of offerings, including new online classes in transition to teaching, an English Learner’s (EL) certification, a bachelor’s in business management and a Master of Social Work (MSW). “After...
September 14, 2023
Enrollment update: How does GC compare?
Each year, Goshen College reports on the enrollment of students for the academic year, and the report for the 2023-24 school year was released last Wednesday. Last year, GC had an overall enrollment of 768 students across all categories, but that number has risen by 56 people to 824 this year, according to the GC Fact Book collected by the Institutional Research Office. The freshman cohort this year has 156 students — nine fewer than last year’s class. 55% of the class lives in on-campus housing. The category that saw the most growth was in the number of adult or...
January 26, 2023
GC designated as Hispanic-Serving Institution
Last week, Goshen College was labeled as a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) by the U.S. Department of Education. This means that for consecutive years the college has met the criteria of having at least 25% of full-time undergraduate students identify as Hispanic/Latinx and enrolling a significant number of students who show financial need. “We are committed to deepening our relationships with Hispanic/Latinx students and their families as we work toward more fully realizing equity and inclusion for students of all backgrounds and identities,” said President Rebecca Stoltzfus. “As we have stated in our vision: ‘Rooted in the way of Jesus, we...
September 30, 2022
Retention is at a 7-year high: Enrollment is dropping
Retention is at a seven-year high. Enrollment is dropping. Down 10% from two years ago, total undergraduate enrollment sits at 699 students, and the incoming first-year class is only 165. This year’s student retention rate was 80%, which rose 10% from the fall of 2022 and met the five-year goal set by the retention task force last year. “We’re thrilled at this number, looking to hold it,” President Rebecca Stoltfutz said. “Is [it] sort of an unusual high? We’ll see.” Stoltfuz explained that high schoolers’ experience with the education system has been spotty, and the job market is hot. She...