| Selectivity Increases With a Record Number 
                    of Undergraduate Applications to SPU IT’S BECOMING MORE DIFFICULT to get 
                    into ºù«ÍÞÊÓÆµ. A record number of applications 
                    and a capacity enrollment at SPU have meant increased competition 
                    for admission.  “Very well-qualified students are applying to SPU 
                    in record numbers, giving us greater opportunity to select 
                    the strongest applicants and those students who will benefit 
                    most from a Seattle Pacific education,” explains Marj 
                    Johnson, vice president for administration and university 
                    relations. The number of freshman applicants to Seattle Pacific increased 
                    by 112 this year to 1,921. The University’s admit rate, 
                    an important measure of student demand and institutional success, 
                    improved by eight percentage points in one year to 85 percent. 
                    The academic credentials of incoming students also improved, 
                    with the average GPA of incoming freshmen at 3.65, up from 
                    3.59 last year, and the average SAT score of incoming freshmen 
                    at 1,162, up from 1,141 last year.  Even while it continued to dramatically increase selectivity, 
                    SPU experienced overall enrollment growth this fall. “We 
                    admitted the number of students who, based on previous years’ 
                    experience, would yield our target enrollment goal,” 
                    explains Director of Undergraduate Admissions Jennifer Kenney. 
                    “What was different is that a greater percentage of 
                    those students chose to enroll.” The result is that Seattle Pacific welcomed the largest, 
                    as well as the most highly qualified, new student class in 
                    the institution’s history. The class contributed to 
                    a record-setting enrollment of 3,873 students, including 3,086 
                    undergraduate and post-baccalaureate students, and 787 graduate 
                    students. Johnson notes that the strength of Seattle Pacific’s 
                    application pool, and the increased selectivity, demonstrate 
                    that the University is laying the groundwork for long-term 
                    goals. “We are recruiting and attracting students best 
                    qualified to fulfill our vision,” she says, “and 
                    we are building a campus and community life that equips these 
                    students to engage the culture and change the world.” Back to the topBack to Home
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