For more than five months, the university’s admissions committee carefully evaluated nearly 18,500 freshman applications to find the smartest students for Temple’s class of 2012. Now, all of that hard work will have paid off as 4,100 admitted freshmen arrive for Welcome Week. “The academic quality for this year’s freshman class is the strongest we’ve had in Temple’s history,” said Karin Mormando, director of admissions.
The average SAT score for the incoming class was 1104, with an average GPA of 3.37. “The honors classes are larger and that is a strong indicator of the academic strength,” Mormando said. “We will be welcoming an incoming honors class of 430.”
The next generation of Owls is coming from all over the country and the world to begin their undergraduate studies at Temple.
“[Recruiters] travel as far north as Maine, as far south as Virginia and as far west as Pittsburgh. There are also pockets of national recruitment in parts of California; Charlotte, N.C.; Chicago; and cities in Florida,” Mormando said.
Admission recruiters also traveled to China and South Korea where they attended college fairs. Recruiters will visit Vietnam to continue increasing the university’s international student body for the 2009-2010 school year. International undergraduates accounted for a 6 percent increase in tuition deposits.
Mormando said the admission committee takes a holistic approach in reviewing each applicant’s academic credentials.
“We review all of the application material, really looking at the academic picture over time and what classes they are taking their senior year. We also look at their personal statement and extracurriculars,” she said.
During rolling admissions, approximately 11,300 students were offered admittance and a record 1,300
prospective students were wait-listed.
“Last year, we had a very large freshman class, 4,400 students, many more students than we ever had,” Mormando said. “The list allows us to keep in mind enrollment goals and make sure we can meet the needs of the students.”
Of the 1,300 students on the wait list, 500 were eventually offered admission. Of that 500 about 15 percent enrolled to become Owls.
The relocation of the Tyler School of Art to Main Campus has led to an increase in freshman applications seeking to pursue visual arts studies.
“Tyler is seeing a bigger freshman class this year,” Mormando said.
“I only expect that to increase in the coming years as Tyler becomes fully integrated into Main Campus.”
Mormando said the university will continue to maintain its connection in the surrounding communities as the number of incoming freshmen from the Philadelphia metropolitan area increases. According to recent enrollment figures, 70 percent of freshmen are Pennsylvania residents, while the remaining 30 percent are out-of-state and international students.
In addition to the incoming freshmen, there are also 2,600 transfer students this year. Many of the transfer students are from local community colleges, Mormando said.
“More students are coming from the national pockets where we are recruiting, but we want to balance that with a strong local presence,” she said.
LeAnne Matlach can be reached at leannematlach@temple.edu .
“Of the 1,300 students on the wait list, 500, or about 15 percent, accepted the offer to become Owls.”
Not sure what type of math is being taught at Temple, but 500/1300 is not 15%. It’s 38.5%
Any other statistics wrong in the article?
A typo was made and has been corrected.
“Of the 1,300 students on the wait list, 500 were eventually offered admission. Of that 500 about 15 percent enrolled to become Owls.”