YSU enrollment figures

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

Youngstown State University is anticipating a fall enrollment of 2,325 new students, the same number of students enrolled in fall 2018.

“Enrollment across the state is down,” said Eddie Howard, YSU vice president of Student Affairs. “So we kept our numbers the same.”

The new 2,325 students will make up an estimated 12,676 student population at YSU.

But what’s different this year is a stronger class.

“This year has been the highest for GPAs [grade-point averages] so far with a 3.47, compared to about a 3.39 last year,” Howard said.

In addition, ACT scores are up to 21.9 from 21.67 last year.

“Every year the classes get a little bit stronger,” Howard said. “It is our hope that this class is strong and that we yield the actual number of students we are hoping to yield.”

Howard said he understands that for some, YSU is a second-choice school, but he’s excited the number of students have increased over the past couple of years for students who chose YSU as their first-choice school.

“Students will get a strong education here at home and have the same full experience they’d get anywhere else,” Howard said. “That message has resonated.”

Another strong trend is students wanting to live on or around campus.

“We’re halfway filled already, and our on-campus apartments are full,” Howard said. “This is just going to be a good year.”