It is my pleasure to share the latest news from Kent State University. The campus community welcomed over 5,200 students to our residence halls as we returned to a near-normal capacity with a full week worth of opening activities. In an almost foreshadowing event, it was special to have students and families arrive and move into their residence hall while right across the street, our summer 2021 graduates were celebrating their recent accomplishment on Manchester field. I was overjoyed to experience two of my favorite events in one day with new student move-in and graduation. I am going to share a bit about the class of 2025 that chose to attend Kent State University to continue their educational journey.
Class of 2025
We are proud of our newest Golden Flashes! With just under 4,000 new students from 38 states and 22 countries, this entering class had the highest entering GPA and is the most diverse class ever, including nearly 18 percent underserved students, 29 percent Pell-eligible students, and 32 percent being the first in their family to go to college. The Honors College welcomed a record 575 new students representing 14 percent of the incoming class. Our first-year resident students are from 80 different Ohio counties and 61 percent arrived this fall with prior college credit. It is an exciting time to be a part of Kent State University!
Updates
- Admissions – Following a successful implementation for fall 2021, KSU will continue reviewing applications holistically. This means each application is reviewed based on academic strength, rigor, grade trends, demonstrated talents, and other factors. We encourage all students to apply regardless of their academic background and to work individually with their admission counselor if they have questions.
- Scholarships – Kent State will award scholarships that best benefit each student. A student will not be penalized for submitting a test score. Instead, they will be evaluated for scholarships with and without their test score, if they choose to provide one, and the best available scholarship will be awarded. Our goal is to make this process as straightforward as possible and to leave the guesswork out of the process.
- Flashes Go Further – This is an exciting, new need-based aid program. Flashes Go Further helps make college more affordable for students who meet need-based criteria. Recipients will receive aid to cover the full cost of tuition, general fees and up to $1,200 per year for books, which means these students can graduate free of debt for tuition, general fees, and books.
Campus Visits
We know how important it is for our students and high school partners to visit campus. Here are some ways you and/or your students can visit campus this fall:
- Preview KSU on Oct. 23 and Nov. 6. – This comprehensive visit program is designed for high school seniors and families to learn about the admissions process, meet with faculty and academic programs, and explore our campus.
- School Counselor Luncheon on Oct. 22 – This event is provided for school counselors to visit campus and learn about academic programs, financial aid and Kent State, in general. This month, we will feature our Design Innovation Hub which houses Kent State’s Makerspaces that were recently ranked "Best in Ohio and No. 6 nationally."
- Health Professions Visit Day on Oct. 29 – This visit day is designed for students interested in health-related fields. We invite students and families to explore Kent State, learn about our cutting-edge health-related fields, then take a deep dive into two individualized academic sessions of their choice.
Take care and I wish you a successful fall semester.
Sincerely,
Sean Broghammer, Ph.D.
Interim Vice President for Enrollment Management