For the seventh year in a row, a record number of students have applied for admission to Loyola Marymount University’s upcoming freshman class. Applications are up 6 percent over last year, to 11,824 students, showing that interest in attending LMU continues to grow.
LMU’s reputation has been on the rise in recent years. The university has skyrocketed through Forbes magazine’s rankings, where it is now placed among the top five percent of four-year colleges nationwide. In U.S. News and World Report, LMU is ranked fourth in its category, “Best Regional Universities (West).”
Matthew X. Fissinger, director of admission, cited numerous factors for the increase, from changing demographics to crowding and tuition increases at University of California and Cal State campuses. “Of course, LMU’s growing reputation for excellence is the one factor that looms over all the rest.”
That reputation has national implications. Applications to LMU from out-of-state students increased 13.8 percent over last year’s total, while applications from California students were mostly steady, growing just 2.5 percent. Californians still make up about two-thirds of the applicant pool.
One statistic that was largely unchanged is the ratio of female applicants to males: 60 percent women, 40 percent men. The university plans to enroll a class of 1,250 freshmen in the fall.
