GC enrollment stays steady overall, while local, first-generation and Mennonite numbers rise among new students

In its fall enrollment for the 2025-25 academic year, Goshen College experienced steadiness in overall numbers of students in its academic programs with a total student body headcount of 847, the same as last year.

This total included 234 new first-year and transfer undergraduate students. Although the number of first-year traditional undergraduates decreased slightly, there was good growth in several key demographic groups of students. First-generation students make up the majority of Goshen College’s incoming class for the first time in recorded campus history with 52% of the incoming 188 first-year students being the first generation in their family to attend college. As well, the number of first-year Mennonite students nearly doubled, and the number of students from Elkhart County grew by 8%. Additionally, despite increased political pressures, the number of Hispanic first-year students and the number of international first-year students remained steady.

Steve Wolma, vice president for enrollment management, also highlighted the academic strength of the incoming class. “We should be proud that the average high school GPA for the incoming first-year cohort is higher than in past cycles,” he said. This class has a median GPA of 3.48, compared to 3.30 last year.

The top intended majors for first-year students include nursing, business, elementary education and molecular biology/biochemistry.

“We saw increased numbers in our local area due to the hard work of our admissions team in connecting with local high schools,” said Wolma. “The enrollment team had to adapt and work through a number of changes and challenging circumstances during this past recruitment cycle.”

As well, graduate enrollment rose significantly, increasing from 67 to 109 due in large part to the launch of the new Master of Arts in Teaching program.

Enrollment in the adult degree-completion program declined by 42 students after a strategic reduction in program offerings. Meanwhile, total traditional undergraduate enrollment remained unchanged from last year at 718 students.

“Next year, we plan to continue building on the success of the last cycle,” Wolma said.