In an era when some women’s college have opted to switch to co-education and where other women’s colleges have seen declining enrollments, Smith College, the highly rated liberal arts institution for women in Northampton, Massachusetts, reports a record number of applicants for the class that will enter this fall.
Smith College received nearly 5,000 applications this year, an increase of more than 500 from a year ago. The record number of applicants includes a 16 percent increase from domestic students and a 2 percent increase in applications from international students. Applications from students of color were up 17 percent.
Audrey Smith, vice president for enrollment management at Smith College, stated that “We have made an investment in getting the word out about Smith through social media and a variety of other platforms. We’ve also done a careful analysis of our recruitment travel and are once again bringing high school guidance counselors to campus.”
This is the eighth year in a row that Smith has posted a record number of applicants.