The largest freshman class in Anderson University history will move into the residence halls on campus Saturday morning August 22. 700 freshmen, an increase of 50 over last year’s class will officially become AU Trojans. Remarkably, the freshman class of 2015 is more than double the class that entered in 2003 (338). Anderson has set enrollment records each of the past 11 years.
Add more than 120 transfer students to the mix, and Anderson will welcome 820 new students to campus on Saturday. Total enrollment for 2015-2016 is expected to be approximately 3,300 – another all-time record for the fastest growing private university in South Carolina and the 18th fastest growing in the nation according to The Chronicle of Higher Education.
The new class at AU is also one of the most academically qualified in school history. Anderson now leads private universities in South Carolina in the number of enrolled students who received merit based state scholarships (Palmetto Fellows and Life scholarships).
Returning students will notice some major changes on campus. A 400-foot radio tower that stood on campus for several decades was removed over the summer making way for the construction of the new G. Ross Anderson Jr. Student Center will is well underway in advance of a July 2016 completion date. At the athletic campus, students will enjoy a new recreational swimming pool complete with a large recreational deck complete with a fire pit and outdoor grills. A new softball stadium and tennis center were also completed over the summer.
Moving in at Anderson University is one of the most unique experiences among colleges in South Carolina as scores of volunteers, from current students’ parents, to faculty and staff, cheerfully descend on each new car as it arrives and quickly move the contents to the respective room of the new student.
On Sunday, the new students and their families will join the faculty and staff of AU for a special Matriculation Service at 9:30 am, followed by the traditional archway walk. Students pass through the storied arch at the front of the Anderson Campus and are greeted by President Evans Whitaker and his wife Dianne, then pass through a column of support composed of all the parents, signifying their passage into a new phase of their lives. Per AU tradition, the students won’t pass under the arch as a group again until their graduation.