SLU Welcomes Largest Freshman Class Ever

September 01, 2008

Over the next few days, Saint Leo University is welcoming its largest freshman class ever to the university’s main campus in east Pasco County.

More than 500 freshmen and their families are arriving Thursday and Friday for the start of fall classes on Tuesday, Aug. 26.

The university received eight applications for each available spot in the class, said Gary Bracken, vice president of enrollment, and for the first time established an admissions waiting list.

In all, 514 freshmen are expected to arrive, an increase of 12 percent over the level of new students who enrolled at the university in fall 2007

Bracken attributes the growing interest in Saint Leo to greater recognition of the university’s gorgeous campus environment and student-centered academic mission. New facilities have been added to the campus in recent years, including lakeside residence halls and the Student Community Center Complex that now anchors the campus. The university offers small classes and undergraduate majors in the liberal arts, education, social work, business administration, sport management and criminal justice, among others.

The annual tuition of $16,500 is competitive among private institutions, particularly those in the Northeast. Additionally, most Saint Leo students receive some form of financial aid.

“Saint Leo is a place of great value for students,' Bracken said.

The total full-time student enrollment on campus this fall is expected to top 1,600.

Saint Leo enrolls thousands more students through its 17 regional education centers and through its Center for Online Learning. Those students have already begun fall classes and include many working adults and master’s degree candidates. Saint Leo’s adult students are often drawn to the university because SLU is a recognized leader in online education and one of the nation’s foremost providers of higher education to the military.

The university was originally chartered in 1889 in the town of Saint Leo and is now one of the nation’s largest and most innovative Catholic universities, offering more than 40 academic programs.