A total of 1,331 new students started the 2024-25 academic year at Elmhurst University, the third-largest incoming class in institutional history.
“We are excited to welcome another robust and diverse class to Elmhurst University,” said Christine Grenier, vice president for admission. “Students are continuing to choose Elmhurst because we offer the welcoming environment and academic experience they’re looking for, at an exceptional value.”
The enrollment picture at Elmhurst was strong despite challenges faced by college students across the country earlier this year as a result of the problematic rollout of the revised federal financial aid application known as the FAFSA.
“Students dealt with a lot of complications and uncertainty because of the revised FAFSA, so I’m proud that our new Bluejays trusted us to help them make Elmhurst an affordable option and chose to join the Elmhurst University community,” Grenier said.
Elmhurst’s newest class of Bluejays includes 973 undergraduates, eight students in the Elmhurst Learning and Success Academy (ELSA) and 350 graduate students, most from Illinois. Outside of Illinois, Elmhurst’s newest international students come from 17 countries; domestically, they hail from 25 states. Out-of-state students make up 15% of the total class, with the most out-of-state students coming from Michigan and Texas.
As has been the case for several years, more than half of Elmhurst’s first-year students identify as first-generation college students. So do more than half of the campus’s nearly 350 new transfer students, most of whom come from a Chicago-area community college.
Combined with returning students, the University’s total student enrollment this fall is 3,997, an all-time high for the institution that is due not only to the large class of incoming students, but also to an increase in the student retention rate.
“There’s such a great energy on campus from our new and returning students this fall,” President Troy D. VanAken said. “It reaffirms our commitment to providing all of our students with an excellent educational experience that will prepare them for success after they graduate.”