A look at the Class of 2017*
Size: 877
Average GPA: 3.77
Average SAT (3-part): 1562
Average ACT (composite): 22
Female: 56%
Male: 44%
Minorities: 30%
In-state students: 80%
Out-of-state: 18%
International: 2%
*Data only for freshman students.
Popular majors for incoming students*
Pre-Pharmacy: 193
Business Administration: 71
Pre-Medicine Biology: 67
Pre-Law: 65
General Biology: 61
PGA Golf Management: 46
Education: 37
Political Science: 36
The Arts/ Music: 33
Psychology: 33
Exercise Science: 32
Pre-Physician Assistant Biology: 31
Criminal Justice: 27
Pre-Physical Therapy Biology: 24
Sports Management/Coaching/PE: 21
Accounting: 20
Journalism/Communication Studies: 20
Social Sciences: 20
Trust & Wealth Management: 20
*Expected majors or tracks for both freshman and transfer students.
BUIES CREEK – Campbell University will open classes for the fall 2013 semester on Wednesday with an expected 1,077 new undergraduate students, including 877 freshmen. Pre-professional, health-related and business fields, such as pre-pharmacy, pre-law, biology and business administration, are the most popular academic majors and tracks for the entering students, who comprise one of the most diverse and academically sound incoming groups in Campbell’s history. The entering class is an increase of nearly 50 students from fall 2012.
“We could not be more thrilled and proud of the entering Class of 2017,” said Britt Davis, Campbell’s vice president for institutional advancement, marketing and enrollment. “Not only are they one of the strongest classes to matriculate at Campbell, but they’re also highly diverse racially, in their backgrounds with athletics and community service, and academic interests at Campbell.”
Campbell received 11,701 freshman and transfer applications. The admitted freshman class had an average high school GPA of 3.77, and they averaged 1562 on the critical reading, math and writing portions of the SAT. That’s an increase of nearly 11 percent on the three-part SAT among entering Campbell students since 2010 and more than 60 points higher than the national average among all U.S. colleges and universities.
Of the 877 entering freshmen, 56 percent are female, and more than 30 percent are minorities. The students come from nearly two dozen Christian denominations, with more than half identifying themselves as “Christian.” Other major religious faiths, including Judaism and Hinduism, are also represented among the student body. About 2 in 10 are residents of states other than North Carolina, with nearly 2 percent being international students.
“There has been substantially increased interest in Campbell University among prospective students because of the comprehensive nature of our academic programs,” Davis said. “We offer comprehensive majors in the arts and sciences, but all business, education, pharmaceutical sciences, clinical research, athletic training, healthcare management, professional golf course management, homeland security, pre-medicine, and other programs relevant to today’s marketplace.”
The most popular majors for the 1,077 incoming students, which include an expected 200 transfer students, relate to the health fields and pre-professional programs. Nearly 200 will be part of the pre-pharmacy program, which prepares undergraduates for advanced study in pharmacy. Another 184 will study biology, many of whom will be part of pre-professional tracks that prepare them for advanced professional degrees in fields such as medicine, physical therapy or physician assistant practice.
The other hot programs for incoming students are pre-law tracks that include majors in English, political science, history, economics, and trust and wealth management (65 entering students); business administration (73 entering students); and the PGA Golf Management University Program, one of only 20 such programs in the U.S. accredited by the PGA (46 entering students).
For the first time this year, Campbell also offered entering students the opportunity to pursue the Bachelor of Science in Homeland Security degree, the only one of its kind in North Carolina. It enrolled 14 new students.
Enrollment in other fields was steady. More than 80 students will pursue degrees in education, psychology or social work; and several dozen will study music, church music, studio art or the theatre arts.