By Eddie Mikus
Fordham has sent out its acceptance letters for regular admission to the class of 2018.
“We’ve had just about 19,000 students admitted, from a pool of just about 40,700 applicants,” Dr. Patricia Peek, director of admission, said. “That’s the admit pool. The entering class size is only going to still be 2,100.”
Although the discrepancy between the number of students admitted and the number of students whom the university expects to enroll may seem large, Peek said that these numbers corresponded to those from past years.
“You’re going to bring in a certain number of students based on history to get that number, so we come pretty close every year,” Peek said.
Peek also told The Fordham Ram that the university’s acceptance rate remained largely unchanged since last year, despite the fact that the number of applicants increased.
“So we accepted, last year, about 47 percent, and we accepted the same this year,” Peek said. “When you’re talking about two different-sized applicant pools, the number may be different, but the percentage is about the same.”
Additionally, Peek explained how the increased size of the applicant pool led the admissions committee to be more selective about the students it accepted.
“With the application pool increasing by 13 percent, it was our largest, most talented applicant pool,” Peek said. “In our mean standardized testing for the applicant pool, we saw an increase of about seven points. So it was a very competitive applicant pool.”
Peek also said that the incoming class represents a great degree of diversity.
“This year alone, we saw a 43 percent increase in international students, and in some of our more distant domestic markets, we saw increases ranging from eight to 26 percent,” Peek said. “So it’s a diverse and talented group interested in Fordham. I think that speaks to the strength of the university.”
According to Peek, the increase in accepted international students is part of a larger trend that emphasizes the international mobility of students.
“That’s something that’s going on nationwide, actually worldwide, with this interest in students being much more mobile internationally,” Peek said. “Being a school in New York, with a strong Jesuit background and all that we have to offer, I think it makes sense that it’s attractive to students from around the world and around the country.”
Peek also spoke about the specific type of student that were to be admitted to Fordham University.
“We look at everything that a student presents in the application,” Peek said. “We focus very strongly on a student’s academic background, what they’re presenting from their high school transcript, their testing, their letters of recommendation. But, then there are other personal elements that need to come into play. How well that student writes, as evidenced by the essay. What things were students involved in and passionate about? Service, leadership, commitment. How might that student engage here on campus. So, all those factors are part of what goes into the holistic application review.”
Fordham’s admission process made headlines earlier this year when 2,500 students received acceptance letters despite not actually having been admitted. Peek, however, said that this incident had no effect on which applicants ultimately got admitted.
“That was a vendor which we have been engaged with for a number of years, a very trusted vendor,” Peek said. “What had happened was an email had gone out from the vendor, and we had immediately contacted all of those students within hours of that email going out. So, it was not from the office of admission. It certainly did not have any impact on what we were doing and the integrity of our process, but we were responsive and sensitive to those families who received those messages. Since that time, about 900 of those students who were impacted have gained admission, but we won’t know until May 1 who’s coming. “
After this mishap, the rest of the admissions process went smoothly and potential Rams look forward to Spring Preview and other upcoming recruitment events to make a final decision.
