Freshman class experiences 15-percent increase over last year
 
CLEVELAND – For the fourth consecutive year, the incoming freshmen class at Cleveland State University is the largest, while continuing to be academically competitive. With approximately 1,800 students, the new class represents a 15-percent surge over last year.
 
Cleveland State President Ronald M. Berkman has focused the University’s recruitment efforts on attracting a greater number of high-quality freshmen. Since the beginning of Berkman’s tenure at CSU in 2009, freshman enrollment has nearly doubled, while increasing and maintaining academic competitiveness.
 
“For all of us at Cleveland State this is a significant indicator of success, knowing that an ever-increasing number of students, who have a plethora of academic options, are choosing Cleveland State over other schools throughout the region,” Berkman said. “This result speaks to our intense focus on student success and the many initiatives we have under way to save students money and accelerate time to graduation.”
 
In the past several years, CSU has developed an intensive student-success initiative aimed at optimizing the value of higher education. Among the many new measures is the Graduation Incentive Plan that saves undergraduates who complete 30 credit hours $389 per year. Another change saves students $394 for each additional credit hour scheduled beyond 16 hours per semester. Finally, a 120-credit-hour cap reduces the number of credits needed for graduation, saving students an average of $3,150.
 
These and other student-success programs are aimed at reducing overall costs and incentivizing students to graduate faster. The student-success initiative also includes an active drive to increase internships and co-ops that will prepare students for their chosen careers. Last year more than 3,000 CSU students did internships and co-ops with local corporations, government institutions and cultural organizations.