Saint Rose Welcomes Its Largest First-Year Class

Class of 2020 Sets Record with 658 First-Year Students

ALBANY (August 29, 2016) — The Class of 2020 already is a record-setter.

The College of Saint Rose is welcoming 658 registered students to the Class of 2020, the largest first-year class in the College’s nearly 100-year history. This number surpasses the previous largest class of 639 set in 2010.

This year’s 7,536 applications for admission to Saint Rose also set a new record high.

“This new class is special in several ways: it is the largest, most diverse in our history and many are like me, the first in their families to attend college. In addition, it is the class of our centennial year – 2020. I am immensely proud to welcome these new students from across the country and around the world who are talented, filled with passion, and excited to be here,” said Saint Rose President Dr. Carolyn J. Stefanco.

First-generation college students represent more than one-third of the Class of 2020, approximately the same as last year. President Stefanco has made boosting support for first-generation students one of the pillars of her administration. Saint Rose has taken steps to encourage, mentor, and advise first-generation college students so that they have the same chance to succeed as those students with college-educated parents and siblings.

The first-year class also is among the College’s most ethnically diverse, at 42 percent.

The new first-year students hail from 25 states and the District of Columbia, making this the College’s most geographically diverse class. Students are coming to Saint Rose from throughout the Northeast as well as Alabama, California, Colorado, Florida and Idaho, among other states.

In addition, Saint Rose continues to extend its reach internationally this year, welcoming new undergraduate and graduate students from 16 countries, including Afghanistan, Bermuda, Canada, China, Costa Rica, Croatia, Egypt, India, Mexico, Nepal, Nigeria, Russia, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Turkmenistan and Zimbabwe.

Overall, Saint Rose enrolls students from 55 countries and 36 states.

Top majors chosen by the Class of 2020 include biology, business administration, communication sciences and disorders, communications, computer science, criminal justice, forensic psychology, management, music industry and psychology. The top 10 majors make up 51 percent of the first-year incoming class of 2020.

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