More first-year students are choosing McMaster

Level I acceptances to McMaster University are up significantly over last year. June 29 numbers supplied by the Ontario Universities' Application Centre show that first-year acceptances to McMaster stand at 3,500, 749 more than on the same day in 1999.

While more Ontario students are making McMaster their first choice, the total numbers won't, however, exceed the planned enrolment for Level I.

University registrar George Granger says that the enrolment goal for the 2000-2001 year is 3,781, a target set by the Enrolment Management Team and endorsed by Senate as part of a five-year enrolment plan. “Our projections are that we will make our goal. Most departments will be at their targets by September,” he says.

In addition to an increase in Level I acceptances, applicants to McMaster have also filed their responses earlier than in other years. Granger says a number of factors have likely contributed to this, including:

* innovative degree programs

* the Honour Awards program, in which students with 80 per cent or higher are guaranteed a scholarship

* the guaranteed residence program being offered to all students with a 75 per cent average

* an improved recruitment campaign

“McMaster is pleased that a large number of high school graduates have accepted offers of admission,” says University provost and vice-president academic Harvey Weingarten.

He particularly highlights the Bachelor of Health Sciences program, for which McMaster received over 1,300 applications for 80 openings. “Our first entering class will be about 107 students, some 30 per cent larger than we anticipated, but we will accommodate them all.”

As of June 29, 3,150 Ontario high school students had selected McMaster as their school of choice.