The freshman class is bigger this year — by 73 students.

Estimated first-year enrollment for Fall 2007 is 3,625 students, said Pete Goldsmith, vice president for enrollment management and student affairs.

The number represents a 2 percent increase from last year’s 3,552 freshmen.

An exact number is determined after the 15th day of classes, which is a national standard for measuring enrollment.

Goldsmith said the university reached its goal to enroll between 3,600 and 3,700 new students.

“We’ve had some large graduating classes,” he said.

Goldsmith said it was too soon to have an estimate for this year’s total enrollment. The total undergraduate and graduate enrollment for Kent State’s eight campuses for Fall 2006 was 33,630, according to last year’s official 15th day statistics from the Office of Research, Planning and Institutional Effectiveness.

Director of Admissions Nancy DellaVecchia said any increase in enrollment is significant because a larger student body means more revenue for the university.

This year the university received approximately 12,000 applications, which is a 12 percent increase from the previous year, DellaVecchia said.

The university needs to “grow enrollment at the freshman level to replace the students that we were losing,” Goldsmith said.

He said the university doesn’t just recruit students from Northeast Ohio but has grown out of state and international student enrollment as well.

“We try to generate more applications so we can generate more admittance and students who enroll,” Goldsmith said.

He called Kent State “one of America’s best-kept secrets.”

Goldsmith said everyone at the university has a role to play in recruitment.

“Students are some of our best recruiters as well,” he said. “We’re excited about the year.”

Contact academics reporter Kiera Manion-Fischer at [email protected].