AU's Office of Enrollment surpassed the number of deposits it needed to meet its 2009 goal as of May 1, according to a campus-wide e-mail sent out by the Office of the Provost.
The numbers are a big accomplishment, considering the recent financial struggles many families have had to face, said Provost Scott A. Bass in an statement.
"I am pleased to report that, as of May 1, we have exceeded the number of deposits needed to meet our freshman enrollment goal," Bass said in the statement.
The incoming Class of 2013's enrollment deposits not only exceeded AU's expectations for this year, but also those who did place in deposits have higher SAT scores and are more racially diverse compared to students in past years.
"The students who deposited have a seven point increase in average SAT score and represent a 43 percent increase in the number of high-achieving, low-income students eligible for Pell grants," Bass said.
A new $60 online application fee, improved recruiting tactics toward those showing an interest in AU, monitoring the financial needs of enrolled students and the implementation of an Undergraduate Marketing and Enrollment Task Force are all factors for the increase in this coming academic year's enrollment.
AU's job is not done when it comes to enrollment, he said. The next task is to convert student enrollment deposits into actual student attendance for 2009 - just because a student sends in a deposit, does not mean the student will actually plan on attending the university, Bass said.
AU received a total 1,639 freshman enrollment deposits and would like to have at least 1,500 of those deposits turn into permanent enrollments.
In previous years, AU lost students from their time of enrollment deposits to the time of actual matriculation. The university has to work to prevent that from happening this year through continuing efforts to stay connected to potential students, Bass said.
"We continue to meet with representatives throughout the university to coordinate communication with those students," he said.
Graduate enrollments were strong for the 2009-2010 academic year, Bass said. Graduate programs have exceeded the university's expectations.
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