Kean Among Top 100 U.S. Colleges Receiving ‘Skyrocketing’ Number of Applications
Kean Open House in November drew a full house of prospective students and parents.
Kean University has been named among the Top 100 colleges in the nation seeing an increase in applications, according to the national financial news and opinion company 24/7 Wall St.
The number of students applying to Kean increased by more than 47 percent between the Fall of 2012 and the Fall of 2017, bucking a national trend of reduced enrollment across the country, the 24/7 Wall St. analysis shows. The online financial company analyzed data from the National Center for Education Statistics for nearly 600 post-secondary institutions to create the list.
“It’s no surprise that more students are seeing Kean as a place where they can achieve their goals,” said Kean President Dawood Farahi, Ph.D. “Prospective students from all backgrounds look to Kean to build their futures because of our world-class academic programs and strong student support systems.”
Undergraduate enrollment in America’s colleges and universities has fallen for eight consecutive years, according to 24/7 Wall St. In the fall of 2017, there were 16.8 million students enrolled in undergraduate programs, down 7 percent from the total enrollment of 18.1 million in 2010.
The decline in college enrollment is attributed to a range of factors, including rising tuition costs; a drop in older learners, and a decline in the U.S. birthrate that began around 2008.
The downward trend is not universal among schools, however, and some colleges and universities are reporting a surge in applicants.
On the list are elite schools from all over the country, including New York University, the University of California-Berkeley, the University of Wisconsin, Skidmore College, and a number of technical colleges and universities. The Top 100 included public and private, large and small, urban and rural, nonprofit and for-profit colleges. Kean is ranked No. 98.
“Kean’s growing reputation is a testament to the University’s dedication to providing a world-class and affordable degree for its students,” said Marsha McCarthy, vice president for enrollment services. “We are proud to see that our efforts are producing results. With strong programs, new scholarships, and an active and welcoming University community, Kean is poised for continued success.”
Kean was also recently named a Top Performer for Social Mobility by U.S. News & World Report, the nation’s preeminent college ranking publication, and was featured on Money’s Best Colleges 2019 list.