Applications for admission for next semester show an increase over last year. This year so far, a total of 2,170 applications have been received, whereas last year the total was 1,771 received. This year, the number of first-time freshman applications so far is 1,824;last year it was 1,480.
“We believe some of the increase can be attributed to students applying earlier, but we hope that ultimately, it is an indication of an enrollment increase,” Becky Durocher, director of admissions, said.
Durocher said some of the programs, such as telecounseling and on campus programs, are affecting how early students apply.
Telecounseling is one of the newer programs in admissions. It is a phone bank staffed in the evening and weekends. “We have targeted calls that we place to prospective students and then once the students apply, calls continue to try to get them to attend an early orientation program,” Durocher said.
The out-of-state fee waiver program has also helped generate out-of-state and international interest. This allows certain students from other states to attend Nicholls at in-state fees if they meet certain criteria regarding ACT scores and their high school grade point average.
Admissions also holds preview days for prospective students. Colonel Day is open to juniors and seniors in high school and is held in November. Multi-cultural day is for juniors and seniors to find out about the diverse aspects of the University during the spring semester.
An early orientation was scheduled on April 6 for the early applicants. “We ran a double program because there were so many early applicants because of the caliber of the early applicants and the significant number that have accepted scholarship offers from Nicholls,” Durocher said.
On April 5, admissions had an opportunity for all prospective students to find out about the leadership opportunities on campus. There was a crawfish boil, parents’ program and a band in the evening.
There were also information tables set up by different student and departmental groups so students could find out about the extra-curricular programs they could become involved in.
Two orientation programs ran on April 6, a morning and afternoon program. During that day, 670 students went through the orientation programs and received their schedules for the fall semester.
One improvement this year was to have a sample freshman schedule already prepared for students in their specific majors, Durocher said. Students could either accept the sample schedule or make changes to it if they wished.
