Anderson University Shatters Enrollment Record
August 18, 2014
ANDERSON, SC – By far, the largest freshman class in Anderson University history will move into the residence halls on campus Saturday morning. 657 freshmen, an increase of 150 or 30% over last year’s class and 125 more than the previous record class in 2012 will officially become AU Trojans. Remarkably, the freshman class of 2014 is nearly double the class that entered in 2003 (338). Anderson has set enrollment records each of the past 10 years.
Add a record 145 transfer students to the mix, and Anderson will welcome a staggering 802 new students to campus on Saturday. Total enrollment for 2014-2015 is expected to approach 3,200 – another all-time record for the fastest growing private university in South Carolina.
The new class at AU is also one of the most academically qualified in school history. Anderson now leads private universities in South Carolina in the number of enrolled students who received merit based state scholarships (Palmetto Fellows and Life scholarships).
Moving in at Anderson University is one of the most unique experiences among colleges in South Carolina as scores of volunteers, from current students’ parents, to faculty and staff, cheerfully descend on each new car as it arrives and quickly move the contents to the respective room of the new student.
Two major events will add to this year’s move-in weekend as Anderson celebrates the completion of campus construction projects and embarks on an ambitious new project at the university’s Athletic Campus.
At 4:30pm on Saturday, a brand new, state-of-the-art Biochemistry lab will officially open. Anderson launches a new degree program in Biochemistry this fall. The lab, along with significant upgrades to an adjacent Biology lab, gives AU some of the finest science laboratory facilities in the region.
An hour later, at 5:30, Anderson officials will break ground on the first phase of a host of new athletic facilities to be constructed at the Athletic Campus. Phase one of the new construction features a new softball stadium, a tennis center, and a recreational swimming pool for Anderson students and the various summer camps taking place on the campus.
Additionally, students will move into the newest residence hall on the Boulevard across from campus. The as yet unnamed hall is the 5th new hall constructed in the past six years and will house 102 students.
On Sunday, the new students and their families will join the faculty and staff of AU for a special Matriculation Service at 9:30am, followed by the traditional archway walk. Students pass through the storied arch at the front of the Anderson Campus and are greeted by President Evans Whitaker and his wife Dianne, then pass through a column of support composed of all the parents, signifying their passage into a new phase of their lives.
Anderson University is a selective comprehensive university offering bachelors, masters, and doctoral degrees on campus and online. Anderson is ranked in the Top Tier of US News and World Report’s America’s Best Colleges and is on that publication’s list of the 46 “Up & Coming” universities in America. It is also ranked as one of America’s “100 Best College Buys.”
