New first-quarter freshmen enrolled in the college increased by a sizable 28.7 percent this year, said Jill Tyson, coordinator of prospective student services. First-year students increased from 167 to 215, including students enrolled in the School of Environment and Natural Resources. The increase is significant compared with Ohio State’s overall Columbus campus, which experienced a 9.4-percent increase in first-year students over last autumn.

In addition, students transitioning from the college's Agricultural Technical Institute and institutions outside of Ohio State into the college's Columbus campus increased from 143 last year to 160 in 2009, for a total of 375 new students in the college.

"We saw increases across the board in our programs," Tyson said. "Animal sciences remains our largest major, but our smaller programs, like crop science, forestry, and fisheries and wildlife, saw significant increases, too."

Tyson said the numbers are a point of pride for the college, which now numbers 2,022 undergraduate students, but even better is knowing that more students are finding their niche in the specialized programs the college offers.

"Matching the right students with a program that fits their interests -- that's what we work to do," she said. For example, she said, "Students who might have enrolled in chemistry or biology across campus but want a more applied, hands-on experience in the classroom find just what they're looking for in our food science or environmental science programs."

Tyson can't be certain of the reasons for the large jump seen in new student enrollment this year, but she does know that the college's impressive placement rate for graduates (92 percent) and average starting salary ($37,596) are data that both incoming students and their parents take a look at. In addition, the college has a wide range of scholarships available for students, awarding $1.4 million in scholarships every year. In fact, two out of three incoming first-year applicants in the college receive one or more scholarships.

In addition, the college has strong internship and study abroad programs, offering undergraduate students experiences they may not have the chance at elsewhere. But perhaps the strongest draw, Tyson said, is the college's 10:1 student-to-faculty ratio.

"When you think of Ohio State -- it's one of the biggest universities in the nation, and that can be intimidating if you're not necessarily looking to enroll in a big institution. But in our college, we're small enough for people to get to know each other. We have all the benefits of a close-knit community, with all of the opportunities you get with a large research institution."

The College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences offers 19 majors: agribusiness and applied economics; agricultural communication; agricultural systems management; agricultural and Extension education; animal sciences; construction systems management; crop science; entomology; environmental sciences; environmental policy and management; food, agricultural and biological engineering; food business management; food science; forestry, fisheries and wildlife; landscape horticulture; parks, recreation and tourism; plant health management; professional golf management; and turfgrass science.

For more information on the college, see http://cfaes.osu.edu, or contact Tyson at 614-292-8124 or tyson.46@osu.edu.

Writers

Martha Filipic
filipic.3@cfaes.osu.edu
614-292-9833

Sources

Jill Tyson, Prospective Student Services
tyson.46@osu.edu
614-292-8124