Coe Continues Enrollment Surge
An uncompromising focus on academic excellence and strategic initiatives propelled Coe’s most recent success — back-to-back record classes and the largest student body in its history.
In a climate where many residential liberal arts colleges are experiencing flat or declining enrollment, Coe continues to transcend among its peers. The 2018-19 school year begets 445 new students, second only to 2017 with 446.
As final totals were calculated, Coe had amassed the single largest degree-seeking student body since its inception in 1851. With 29.4% students of color or international origin, this also marks the second most diverse class in Coe’s history.
“The higher education landscape for recruitment is at its most challenging,” said Vice President for Admission & Marketing Julie Staker. “Since the fall of 2013, Coe has enrolled the six largest full-time student bodies in its history, making Coe one of the fastest growing colleges in the state.”
New Kohawks arrived from 280 cities, 25 states and 7 countries across the world. Fifty-six percent of Coe’s incoming first-year students are from outside the state of Iowa, representing a total of 329 different high schools.
Coe's national recognition and reputation of academic excellence coupled with bold strategic plan initiatives add to the college's overall appeal. This year Coe's Center for Creativity & Careers initiative drew national attention when The Princeton Review ranked Coe in the top 25 schools for internships among all colleges and universities in the U.S. The strength of such programs along with a rigorous liberal arts curriculum, contribute to Coe's disruption of the market.