Due to an increased number of highly qualified first-year students seeking admission to Winona State University for Fall 2005, beginning Feb. 25, 2005, the WSU Admissions Office is initiating a more selective process for considering applications.
WSU President Darrell Krueger said the university must limit the size of the Fall 2005 freshman class in order to provide sufficient housing opportunities and class availability for students.
"We have a responsibility to ensure the quality of our programs," Krueger said. "This means we must limit our enrollment to maintain the high quality education standards for which WSU has become known."
Carl Stange, WSU Director of Admissions, said his office has processed more applications and more housing reservations for fall 2005 than had been taken at this time last year.
"Winona State is a selective institution to begin with," Stange said, "Because we are fortunate to be in great demand, we must be more selective with our admission processes."
Stange said freshmen still seeking to be admitted for Fall 2005 will be considered based on their academic ability, talent and merit that they can contribute to the university community and specific academic program.
"We're really trying to match the freshman class with university resources in both classrooms and housing availability, to make the most of the educational opportunity for every student," Stange said.
Stange said WSU is in high demand because of excellent faculty, small class sizes, the university's leadership in applying new technology to higher education, and a well-established reputation for providing high quality education, and a beautiful campus.
Winona State University continues to be recognized for excellence in national college rankings. This year, WSU was named a "top tier institution"
among Midwestern universities by US News and World Report, and was named a "Best Midwestern College" by the Princeton Review.
For the ninth year in a row, WSU was named one of America's 100 Best College Buys in a national report that measures institutional value relative to quality of education, cost, financial aid, and campus housing.
"Winona State University's excellent reputation and continually increasing demand is good for the university," Stange said, "but it requires us to be even more vigilant to be sure that we are making the most of the resources entrusted to us and providing exceptional value to our students."
Stange said Winona State is already working with current high school juniors who are planning to enroll in fall of 2006. The WSU Admissions office invites members of the Class of 2006 to beginning planning a campus visit soon. WSU tours are available every weekday at 9 a.m. and 1 p.m.
Stange noted that the new process for freshmen admission does not affect transfer enrollment. Winona State University continues to accept applications from transfer students who intend to enroll in Fall 2005 at WSU's main campus or at the WSU-Rochester Center.
WSU is pledged to provide quality education, applied research and national service, as part of the social contract that exists between the university, the community and the State of Minnesota.
Winona State University's main campus is in Winona, Minn., along the banks of the Mississippi River. Winona State University also serves the higher education needs in Rochester, Minn., through the WSU-Rochester Center. WSU was founded in 1858 as the first college in the present system of state universities and the first teacher preparatory school west of the Mississippi River. Today, WSU students can earn bachelors and masters degrees in more than 80 undergraduate academic areas and 16 graduate level programs.
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