Freshmen Crowd Gonzaga University Expecting Record Class Of 800

Gonzaga University has outdone itself as it welcomes its largest freshman class ever, breaking last year’s record.

The Spokane college is expecting about 800 freshmen when classes start Tuesday, a 14 percent increase over last year’s bulging class of 701.

Once again, university officials are crediting, in part, Gonzaga’s new-found popularity to the men’s basketball team and its two-year run in the NCAA tournament.

“The positive attention we’ve received over the past two years certainly has affected this year,” said Philip Ballinger, dean of admission at the private Jesuit school. “If we were Bill Gates, we couldn’t have purchased that kind of advertising.”

Gonzaga’s Bulldogs made it to the NCAA’s Elite Eight last year and the Sweet Sixteen this year, twice shining the national spotlight on the team’s bright, nice-guy players.

Gonzaga’s freshman applications were up by 33 percent this year, with students applying from far-away states such as Connecticut, Florida and Texas - places GU recruiters don’t even reach.

Gonzaga decided to cap the incoming class at roughly 800, about the most the school can comfortably accommodate.

“We have the dorm space, but it’s tight,” Ballinger said. “We don’t have room for anyone else.”

The school is building student apartments, which will be ready next year.

The school’s total enrollment, including graduate students, will be about 4,525.

Gonzaga President Robert Spitzer said he’d like to see the university grow to 6,000 students, but no larger. He expects the school will reach that size in the next few years. Any larger, and the school would begin to compromise its small class sizes and personal atmosphere, he said.

In addition to the Bulldogs basketball team, Spitzer cites other reasons for Gonzaga’s enrollment surge.

Gonzaga has expanded its visitation program in the past two years, bringing more prospective students to campus, with room and board provided.

“We find that the visit sells tremendously,” Spitzer said. “They love the beauty of the campus next to the river and downtown. They tend to really like Spokane.”

Also, financial aid at Gonzaga has improved, making the roughly $17,500 annual tuition more affordable.

“The sticker price is daunting, but what it actually costs students and families can be attractive,” Ballinger said.

About 90 percent of GU’s students receive financial aid, a significant amount of which comes from university funds. With grants and scholarships, students pay an average of $10,500 a year, Spitzer said.

Demographics also are working in favor of Gonzaga, as well as other colleges and universities.

College enrollment is expected to continue to rise nationally over the next decade as more children of baby boomers reach college age.

Eastern Washington University expects 1,092 freshmen, one of its largest classes in recent years. Last year’s count was 1,079. Whitworth College expects about 405 freshmen, on par with last year’s class of 404.

North Idaho College is predicting record enrollment. The school already has registered 3,945 total students, very close to last year’s 3,943 students. However, more than 100 additional students are expected to register in the coming weeks, NIC registrar Richard Bevans said.

Officials from Washington State University and the University of Idaho said it’s too early to predict their fall enrollment.