Summer-like weather brings out shorts and sandals for Tulane students, who are busy taking final exams this week. An expected larger influx of freshmen this fall is welcome news to the entire campus. (Photo by Paula Burch-Celentano)

More than 1,375 high school seniors, including 237 from Louisiana, have committed to Tulane University and will enroll in August as Tulane's Class of 2011. The number of new freshmen surpasses by 56 percent last year's class of 882 first-year students and significantly exceeds the university's previously established goal of 1,200.

"This is the largest one-year increase in first-time freshmen in the history of Tulane. It is a signal event and a telling indicator of the university's recovery, national stature and strength," says Tulane University President Scott S. Cowen.

"This is also a remarkable milestone for New Orleans," he adds. "These high school students and their parents from across America are demonstrating their faith in our great city as well as their belief that there is no better place to gain a first-rate education than at Tulane University in this city at this time."

Tulane admission counselors traveled to more than 800 high schools to talk with students and high school counselors, many of whom visited the campus to see Tulane and witness the city's rebuilding firsthand.

"We hosted over 6,000 visitors, including 2,500 students, on the Tulane campus this year and worked to present a balanced picture of the city's recovery," says Earl Retif, vice president of enrollment management. "We generally found that the students coming to Tulane next year are socially conscious and want to help but at the same time there is no denying that New Orleans remains an attractive destination all by itself."

Credentials for this year's incoming class are excellent, says Retif. "While most of our incoming class are among the top performers in class rank and test scores in the country, we look at students as individuals and balance their academic achievements with community involvement, leadership skills and how they are judged by their counselors and others with whom they have interacted."

The university's goal for this year's freshman class was 1,200. "However, interest by students with strong qualifications was so great we were able to increase our class size and maintain our high academic profile," says Retif.

He adds, "Since demand was so great, we were unable to accommodate the very qualified students on our wait list."

In addition to the impressive increase in first-time freshmen, the university is on track to enroll a record number of transfer students. Currently, 128 transfer students have enrolled for the fall, with more expected before the start of classes in August. The current number of transfer students already exceeds the combined total of transfer students, 118, from 2005 and 2006.

About three-quarters of the incoming freshmen, 55 percent of whom are women, come from 15 states: Louisiana, New York, Texas, California, Florida, Maryland, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Connecticut, Missouri, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Georgia and Virginia.

There is an international flavor to this class as well, with students coming to Tulane from Albania, Brazil, China, Ecuador, France, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Honduras, Italy, India, Mexico, Oman, Panama, Singapore, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey and the United Kingdom.