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YSU welcomes 12,731 students to campus Wednesday
YOUNGSTOWN
Youngstown State University students – 12,731 of them – were welcomed on campus Wednesday with a plethora of Welcome Week activities and events.
Events included welcome tents, intramural sports tables, a block party and more.
Jim Tressel, university president, said Welcome Week activities allay the nervousness students are feeling about the new semester.
“We try to do anything we can to create a comfortable atmosphere so students feel welcome here,” he said. “We do anything we can do to support students.”
Jakie Placeres, a senior, agreed with Tressel.
“Welcome Week is important to me because it’s a chance to de-stress before the craziness of the semester kicks in,” she said. “It’s also a great opportunity to meet new people and find out about different clubs or programs that the university has to offer.”
The number of students on campus is up 93 students or 0.7 percent from last fall. It is the third enrollment increase in the past four years.
In addition, the number of full-time equivalent students is 10,657, up 186 or 1.8 percent from last fall semester, according to unofficial student counts. It is the third consecutive year with an increase in FTE enrollment, a calculation that shows how many students would be attending if all were enrolled full time.
This year’s enrollment includes 2,413 freshmen, up 32 percent from 1,821 four years ago.
Other preliminary enrollment highlights on the first day of fall classes:
There are 131 new international students from 32 countries, including Nepal (31), India (12), Saudi Arabia (11) and Ghana (11).
Twenty-two percent of the freshmen class are minority students, up from 18.5 percent last fall semester.
For the third consecutive year, more than 300 freshmen enrolled in the YSU Honors College.
Freshmen come from nearly 500 high schools and 58 Ohio counties.