BUIES CREEK — Campbell University will open the 2015-16 academic year with an expected 1,398 new undergraduate students — the largest incoming group in the university’s 128-year history. It is the third year in a row that Campbell will begin an academic year setting an enrollment record for new students.
Of those new students, 1,112 will be first-year college students and 286 transfer students. Their first day of classes on Wednesday, Aug. 19, will coincide with the start of the first full academic year that Campbell President J. Bradley Creed will preside over since assuming the presidency July 1.
“A record entering class is an exciting way to start the 2015-16 school year and my first year as Campbell University’s president,” Creed said. “Clearly the Campbell brand is strong and we are offering degree programs and an environment that is attractive to our students and their families. Also, the Campbell campus is an ideal place where students can focus on their studies and make lifelong friends, while also being located in one of the fastest growing regions in America — the Research Triangle Region – and being just minutes from Raleigh-Durham.”
Where the new students come from
Of the new undergraduates, 1,160 hail from North Carolina – expected to be the largest entering cohort of North Carolinians at a private school in the state. According to data from the North Carolina Independent Colleges & Universities, Campbell has enrolled more North Carolinians than any of the 36 private colleges and universities in the state over the past five years.
The new students also come from nearly 40 other states and more than 10 foreign countries.
“Students come to Campbell from every corner of North Carolina, but it’s no surprise the bulk of them come from the greater Raleigh-Durham area and west to the Triad and Charlotte,” said Britt Davis, vice president for institutional advancement and admissions. “However, it’s remarkable that the students come to Campbell from almost every state in the nation and many countries around the world. We provide the academic programs that our state and nation require. That’s reflected in our enrollment records.”
What the new students are majoring in
Of all new students, 47.5 percent, or 664, have declared their intent to major in a pre-professional or health-related field, including exercise science (128), pre-pharmacy (170), and biology (245). The biology pre-professional program prepares students for pro-graduate professional degree programs in medicine, veterinary medicine, optometry, dentistry, physician assistant, physical therapy, occupational therapy, and other health professions.
Another 121 entering students will be part of the pre-nursing track, though Campbell’s Catherine W. Wood School of Nursing held its first pre-nursing seminar just last fall. Pre-nursing students can apply to the Bachelor of Science in Nursing program during their sophomore years. The full program will be operational in August 2016, and the first nursing students will graduate in 2018.
Additionally, 215 new students declared their intentions to pursue majors offered by the Lundy-Fetterman School of Business, including degrees in business administration (81), in golf management (30) — one of only 19 PGA-sanctioned programs in the nation — and in trust and wealth management (47), the only one of its kind in the nation.
The School of Education will welcome 102 new students pursing degrees in professional education, psychology and social work. Other popular majors are in history, criminal justice and political science (139); in STEM fields like chemistry (40) and math and information technology and security (41); in the arts like music, graphic design, theatre arts, and studio art (45); and in the liberal arts, including communication studies, English, religion, social sciences, and foreign languages (56).
“With over 100 majors and concentrations, Campbell truly has something for everyone, including leading programs in the health sciences, business, education, and the liberal arts and sciences,” said Jason Hall, assistant vice president for admissions. “We’re excited that engineering will be an option in the fall 2016. We anticipate there will be significant demand for this exciting new program.”
New student profile
Of the first-year college students, their high school GPA average was 3.9, their ACT composite average 22, and their two-part SAT average 1,000. In addition, 60 percent of the freshmen class are female, and 29 percent identify as a minority group.
Campbell opens 2015-16 academic year Aug. 19 with its largest entering class in history