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Milligan President Dr. Bill Greer made the announcement today during the college’s weekly chapel service held in Seeger Memorial Chapel.
“Several factors fueled our record enrollment this year including a large freshman class, a solid retention rate and Milligan’s thriving Graduate and Professional Studies (GPS) programs,” Greer said. “Ultimately the growth is a testament to the college’s academic excellence and our mission to educate servant-leaders to make a difference.”
Milligan has 914 traditional undergraduate students and 296 in its graduate and adult degree-completion programs enrolled this fall. Classes began Aug. 24.
This year’s new student class is one of the largest in the history of the college, with 308 students. The Bachelor of Science in nursing program continues to be the most popular major among incoming freshmen, followed by human performance and exercise science, education, business, and communications.
“It is important at Milligan that we maintain academic quality while growing, so we’re pleased the average ACT score for this year’s entering class is 24, one of its highest points in many years,” said Lee Fierbaugh, vice president for enrollment management and marketing. “Not only are we attracting more students, but we continue to draw high-quality students.”
Student retention is also strong at Milligan, at about 90 percent. The college has several programs to ensure students have the opportunity to succeed, including faculty and peer mentoring programs, free tutoring and the Office of Student Success, whose mission is to help students navigate the college experience. These programs, coupled with a low student-to-faculty ratio, emphasize the individual needs of students in the context of community.
“Our record enrollment is certainly a number to celebrate,” said Greer. “We are especially thankful for the people behind that number—our students who are preparing for lives of service and our faculty and staff who care about the students and work hard to help them achieve their goals.”
Milligan is consistently named one of the Best Baccalaureate Colleges in the South in “America’s Best Colleges” by U.S. News & World Report and one of the nation’s Top 100 Baccalaureate Colleges by Washington Monthly. The college also is recognized as a College of Distinction.
For more information about Milligan College, visit www.milligan.edu.