Posted on Jan 27, 2010

Despite a challenging economy, applications for this fall’s freshman class jumped 3 percent from a year ago, giving Union one of its best recruiting seasons ever.

Students walking. Applications up for Class of 2014.

Nearly 4,900 high school seniors are seeking a spot in the Class of 2014, including a record number of Early Decision applications. The figure is just short of the record 5,271 applications received for the Class of 2012.

Matt Malatesta, vice president for Admissions, Financial Aid and Enrollment, attributed the solid applicant pool to expanded outreach to high school students, both online and in marketing materials, with a particular emphasis on getting students to visit campus.

The pool is broad in geographic reach, with more students applying from outside the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states.

“This is an unsettling time for admissions deans,” said Malatesta. “Our staff is continually out telling the ‘Union story,’ but it was especially critical this year, with the state of the economy, to make sure prospective students and their parents understand what a special place Union is and the value of our education.”

The College is consistently included among the country’s leading liberal arts colleges, according to U.S. News and World Report’s annual rankings, the Princeton Review Guide’s annual book, “The Best 371 Colleges,” and the “Fiske Guide to Colleges,” which features 330 of the country's best and most interesting colleges and universities.

Malatesta said top-tier schools like Union are attractive during this difficult economy because the school has sufficient resources to help families with affordability. Union is committed to meeting the full financial need of all admitted students. To assist families who may be impacted by the economic downturn, the College set aside $700,000 as a contingency fund to the financial aid budget. The average need-based scholarship at Union is $29,000 and the average merit scholarship is $10,000.

“We are cognizant of the challenges some families face when considering a place like Union,” Malatesta said, “and do our best to make our exceptional education affordable.”

The expected size of the Class of 2014 is 565 students.

Regular decision letters will be sent by April 1. Accepted students have until May 1 to commit.