The newest freshman class on campus brought in students from around the country and the world. And, while this year’s class is slightly smaller than freshman classes of years past, Vice President for Enrollment and Marketing, Karl Stumo, stated, “There are 517 students in the freshman class this year.” The incoming class in the fall of 2018 had 597 students and the previous year, 2017, had 568 students. In the fall of 2016, there were 545 incoming students. These 545 students are now seniors. The most recent graduating class, the class of 2019, had 520 incoming freshmen when they started in 2015.
The class of 2023 had an almost even distribution of male and female students. 54% of the class are female and 46% are male.
Students have travelled from as little as a few miles away, while other students have crossed oceans and been on multiple flights to make it to campus. The freshman class has welcomed students from 16 states throughout the United States and 13 countries around the world. These countries include Angola, China, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Iraq, Nepal, Nigeria, Norway, Rwanda, Tanzania, Vietnam, and Zimbabwe. This diverse mix of incoming freshman is sure to compliment Concordia’s long standing diversity goals. Part of Concordia’s diversity statement is that “Concordia College aspires to be a diverse community that affirms an abundance of identities, experiences, and perspectives in order to imagine, examine, and implement possibilities for individual and communal thriving.”
Even though some might change their majors a few times throughout their time here at Concordia, many of the freshmen came to campus with declared majors. With over 50 majors to choose from, including 12 pre-professional programs, 145 students from the freshman class are currently studying either biology or business. Registrar and Director of the Credo Honors Program Lisa Sjoberg, stated, “According to our reports, biology and business are neck-and-neck for the majority of students with 73 and 72 students respectively.”
On average, incoming students received approximately $31,000 in financial aid. This includes Concordia grants and scholarships, as well as state and federal grants, loans, and work study dollars. Stumo stated, “The total Concordia grant awarded to the total freshman class was $13,345,650. An average total grant awarded from Concordia was $25,813. Variation above and below this average are due to students financial need and academic merit.”
Every year, the sports teams at Concordia recruit high school juniors and seniors to continue their athletic careers when they come to campus, whether in football, basketball, hockey, or another of the many sports on campus. Close to 40% of the freshman class, around 210 of the 517 students, came to Concordia with the intent of participating in a sport on campus. Of all the sports on campus, football had the largest recruitment numbers. Athletic Director Rachel Bergeson explained that football typically has the largest recruitment numbers because the team needs such high numbers for the season. Bergson added, “We exceeded our goal of recruiting to fill 203 roster spots with 210 new athletes.”
These impressive students are sure to have a positive impact at Concordia during their four years on-campus.
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