Lewis Marks 80th Anniversary with Record Enrollment

For the first time in school history, 's freshman class is at more than 750 new students, prompting the university to create its first ever waiting list of around 30 students.

“We weren’t surprised about the large enrollment numbers. There has been a significant increase in freshmen and transfers over the years and were excited that interest in Lewis continues to grow at pretty significant numbers,” said Raymond Kennelly, vice president of enrollment and strategic initiatives.

Not only is it the largest class ever for the university, which now in its 80th academic year, but it is also the most academically qualified. Statistically speaking, the new class at Lewis has the highest average GPA and ACT scores of any of its predecessors.

The record class size is contributing to the 6,500 undergraduate and graduate students attending the university, another high mark for Lewis.

While many are still commuting to the school, there is also a record number of students living on campus this year. Some freshmen have found themselves living in upperclassman dorms as freshman living quarters have filled to capacity.

“We were at the point with space in the freshman class we had to stop admitting students back in June," Kennelly said. "This was the first time that’s ever happened. We were searching for a class size between 675 to 700 students, and we ended up with over 750 students this year, so we unfortunately had to close the door on late applications."

The campus is also growing. Construction began last year on a new , and a new is also in the works.

Students say the increased enrollment is already noticable on campus.

“I have noticed that the parking lots were noticeably more filled, and occasionally there is longer waits at the food providers on campus, but other than that it doesn’t seem to be much of a problem,” said Sean O’Halleran, a senior graphic design student at Lewis University.

“I think it’s advantageous to be a part of a large incoming freshman class," said David Bandish, a freshman psychology major. "There’s a good chance you will meet a lot of new friends and it’s exciting to be a part of history like this."

As students adjust to the increased population, they shouldn’t expect Lewis to grow too much more in the coming years, according to administrators.

“We like where we’re at with students and enrollment. We would hate to lose the personal touch that we have with our students just to increase class sizes," Kennelly said. "We don’t want to be a huge university."