Thanks to a new college application website and the promotion of the university, student enrollment rates for Ferris State are shown to be higher than last year.
Semester enrollment is counted after the fourth day of the fall, spring and summer semesters, by a Board of Trustees designated day for Ferris’s official numbers and is used in State and Federal Reporting.
For the fall of 2024, Ferris State University has a total of 9,959 students in attendance compared to last year’s amount of 9,918 students. The increase is due to first-time participation in a new college application website called “Common App,” all while maintaining academic quality stability. The Common Application, or Common App, is a platform where students can apply to multiple colleges and universities at one time.
Dean of Enrollment Services Kirsten Salomonson saw firsthand how Common App boosted student enrollment by exposing them to Ferris.
“We joined last year so students who may never have considered Ferris were exposed to our institution,” Salomonson said. “Increased enrollment is important as more students can harness the tremendous power of a Ferris degree to propel them to success. We have so much to offer – we are thrilled to be able to share it with a greater number of students.”
Common App is used by more than 1,000 institutions across the country. This website is accessible and easy to use for incoming students. As of Aug. 29, a total of 3,066 students, 39% of the total Big Rapids student population, are living on campus in Big Rapids. This is an average occupancy rate of 96% across the university.
Hospitality management senior Sara Keilman provided her thoughts about the student enrollment increase.
“It’s probably a good thing. Some of the very small concerns are, am I gonna have a place to park?” Keilman said. “Am I gonna have enough room in the dorms or residence halls, or like how packed are the dining halls gonna be? But other than that the more people involved, I think overall could be better.”
As the President of the Hospitality Management Student Association, Keilman has seen an increase in attendance for her club and even the program. Even with rising enrollment, Academic Affairs and College Deans carefully and thoroughly manage course offerings to make sure that current students and incoming students can have access to the classes they need.
Psychology freshman Eleanor Rozdoske commented on the opportunity and accessibility.
“It gives a lot of opportunity for a lot of people and I can appreciate that,” Rozdoske said. “I think it’s a great thing that more people are coming to college and getting a secondary education, aside from high school. I think it’s really good for our generation and in terms of what we’re going to do for our workplace, and it gives me a lot of opportunity to talk to more people.”
People working in all services all over Ferris, from Admissions to Housing to Student Financial Services are working in hopes of continuing to increase enrollment.