Valparaiso University’s New Student Enrollment and Total Continues to Climb
Opening Convocation on Aug. 27 to feature signing of 70-year-old Honor Code
Valparaiso University expects to welcome approximately 1,100 new undergraduate students, including more than 900 freshmen, when classes begin Tuesday for the fall 2013 semester. This will be the University’s largest incoming class in 36 years. Coupled with the outstanding retention rate, the anticipated total enrollment is expected to be nearly 4,400 – the largest in 32 years.
“We’re thrilled Valpo continues its trajectory of growth and attracts students of promise who will embody the Valpo spirit of leadership and service,” said Michael Joseph, Vice President of Enrollment Management at Valparaiso University. “Not only are we growing in numbers, but we continue to recruit and enroll outstanding students who excel in and out of the classroom.”
Valpo expects enrollment growth in all five academic colleges. The College of Engineering anticipates 141 new freshmen, the highest number in 35 years, and the College of Nursing expects to enroll 115 new freshmen, the highest in the history of the College. An estimated 94 incoming students will enroll in Christ College — The Honors College, the second highest in the College’s 46-year history.
The academic year kicks off Tuesday, Aug. 27, with the 85th annual Opening Convocation. During the service, all new students will be invited to come forward and sign the student-initiated Honor Code: I have neither given or received, nor have I tolerated others’ use of unauthorized aid. The pledge signifies the students’ commitment to academic integrity and to holding themselves and others to the highest standard.
In 1943, Valparaiso University student body president Barbara Bernthal led an initiative to institute a code of academic honor for all students. Seventy years later, the Honor Code is in tact as an expression of the Christian character of the University. It is led by a group of students known as the Honor Council, which strives to strengthen ethical self-discipline in students and to build pride in and the expectation of academic integrity for all Valpo students and faculty.
An independent Lutheran university, Valpo’s incoming class is 25 percent Lutheran and 23 percent Catholic, with many other major religions represented. This year’s incoming class is one of the University’s most diverse, with international students from 20 different countries and domestic students from 41 states. Of the nearly 1,100 incoming students, 25 percent are international or domestic minority.
“The wide range of academic programs that Valpo offers attracts students from all over the country and the world,” Joseph said. “By bringing together diverse perspectives, our students engage in cross-cultural dialogue and develop into globally savvy leaders who are well-prepared to succeed after college.”
Popular courses of study include engineering, nursing, business, biology and meteorology. The incoming freshman class had an average high school GPA of 3.65, and they averaged 1648 on the SAT, nearly 150 points higher than the national average, and an average ACT of 26, significantly higher than the national average.
Enrollment in the Graduate School and Law School at Valpo is expected to increase from last year as well, with 650 graduate students and 524 law students projected for the fall 2013 semester.
