Admission to Hillsdale is more competitive than ever, and the class of 2019 faced the highest odds of being accepted than any other class currently on campus.
The acceptance rate dropped six points from last year’s to 49 percent, as the college had almost 100 more applicants, according to Senior Director of Field Recruitment Zachary Miller.
“We were more selective in who we admitted and better at the back end of those we thought would eventually matriculate,” Miller said.
Of the students that were accepted to Hillsdale, 41 percent chose to attend the college, up from last year’s yield rate of 38 percent.
“We gave it our best effort in trying to reach those students and help them see, after they’ve been admitted, to see why Hillsdale is a great fit specifically for them,” Miller added. “I think we did a good job, a better job with post-admission recruitment, and that allowed us to be a little more selective on the front end.”
While the high school GPA mean remained consistent with the preceding three years at 3.81, the ACT average increased from 29.06 to 29.22, breaking the class of 2018’s bar as having the second highest average.
“The decreased acceptance rate and impressive academic profiles of the incoming students point to a strong fit for our campus and classroom,” Associate Dean of Women Rebekah Dell said. “But just as all students who have come before them, this incoming class will have to work hard and apply themselves to truly benefit from their Hillsdale experience.”
The only students to have outmatched the current freshmen in this area are those who graduated last May, whose average was 29.32.
In total, 41 states and six countries are represented in the class. Michiganders make up 33 percent of the population and are joined by international students from Australia, Canada, England, Germany, Iceland, and Kenya.
While home-schooled students are a larger portion of the class with 16 percent this year, public school students account for a majority at 54 percent of the group. Private school attendees experienced an eight point drop from last year, now down to 30 percent. Transfer students make up 4 percent — half of last year’s rate.
Though the group was selected more acutely, what the admissions office looked for in incoming freshmen remained constant.
“Our core focus in what we look for in students hasn’t changed,” Miller said. “Our students remain academically prepared to be successful at Hillsdale, naturally curious, but they’re also involved in their schools and communities. They want to be involved in Hillsdale, and they’re men and women of good character who want to come to Hillsdale for the right reasons.”
The faculty are eager to see the impact the freshmen will have on the school as students have already showed interest in being involved on campus following a “great turnout” at The Source on Tuesday, said Anthony Manno, Director of Student Activities.
“They have a diversity of interests and talents that they’re going to bring to campus,” Miller said.
The students took a survey following orientation, and while the orientation schedule did not differ much from last year’s, the responses from students were “positive,” according to Miller.
Sophomore orientation guide Megan Michaelis told The Collegian, while entering college is a “whirlwind” experience, the freshmen appeared “more relaxed than I think was.”
“[They felt] that they’ve been taken care of,” Manno said. “They felt they were welcomed, and that’s a really great compliment.”