This year, Ramapo College welcomed the class of 2028 which is the largest incoming class in the college’s history. It welcomed 1,126 students coming from all over the country and world.
According to Dr. Christopher Romano, Vice President for Strategic Enrollment, Outreach & Engagement, there was an increase in outreach and enrollment for the class of 2028. The admissions office received 9,011 applications which was a 19% increase from the prior year. In addition, they broke the previous record of 9,000 applications received for the college.
The freshman class includes students from all 21 counties in New Jersey, nine different states and six different countries. The class of 2028 also has 132 Educational Opportunity Fund (EOF) scholars, 500 students who are the first to attend college in their families, 145 students who chose one of Ramapo’s 4+1 programs and a 93-year-old student.
“It’s a remarkable achievement and indicates the exciting opportunities for learning and living that RCNJ presents,” Ramapo Provost Michael Middleton said in an interview with The Ramapo News. “Our rigorous majors and liberal arts approach to exposing students to different ways to think, collaborate and problem solve are at the heart of our enrollment success.”
The admissions team owe their accomplishment to their participation in over 500 high school and fair visits where they met with countless interested students to talk about Ramapo College. They also expanded their efforts beyond close counties and strengthened their relationships with guidance counselors in Central Jersey, and those in Rockland and Orange Counties in New York. This is in addition to an increase in their presence on social media where they highlight the beauty of campus and what it means to be a Roadrunner.
The interest in Ramapo College is continuing to grow and Ramapo admissions is hoping to continue that growth and make it a first-choice for many students. With involvement increasing on campus with the Student Club Fair and overall levels of engagement on campus, admissions hopes to have students make a difference on campus and contribute to the community to make campus the best it can be.
Romano says that the goal of admissions is to continue to enroll approximately 1,100 students in the first-year class and to increase enrollment to 6,000 students overall which will include both the undergraduate and graduate students here on campus. He says, “nationally, and regionally, the number of high school students is declining for the next several years, so we don’t anticipate significant growth in the first-year class, but are looking to continue to expand the geography and reach of our enrollment efforts of first-year students as well as increase the number of first-year students that live on campus.”
With 1,126 new Roadrunners on campus, hopes of creating scholars who prioritize learning in academics and one’s careers continues. In order to prioritize academics, Ramapo still pushes the need of small class sizes and individualized attention. The college is not making classes larger or moving first-year student classes to lecture halls, instead the Deans worked closely with enrollment to add sections if needed to ensure that class sizes don’t change.
The power of a Ramapo education is spreading and can be shown in the increase of enrollment. The success of student enrollment just goes to show how valuable the Ramapo experience is and how Ramapo can make you thrive in a successful and fulfilling career.
Middleton says, “Overall, our faculty and staff are excited to welcome our first-year students and to continue supporting our returning students so they can benefit from the Ramapo experience and become the ethical, empathetic, inclusive and responsible leaders our communities need.”
Featured photo courtesy of Ramapo College of New Jersey
