New student outlook is 20/20: A look at UNCW’s new class of 2020

Ava Hicks | Staff Writer

Every new class at any university will have its own identity, and as the University of North Carolina Wilmington looks ahead to its incoming freshmen – the class of 2020 – the class’s high academic achievement, among other qualities, stands out as a defining factor.

UNCW is no small school. At roughly 15,000 students, UNCW boasts a large student body, but still succeeds in being a selective university. As of 2013, UNCW has a 56.3 percent acceptance rate, making it the 3rd most selective school in the UNC system.  

Last fall, just over 2,000 first year students were admitted into the school, and that number has increased to just around 2,200 students for the new freshman class.

In years past, UNCW has consistently admitted classes with an average high school grade point average above a 4.0, and the class of 2020 is no exception. Last year’s admittees averaged an overall 4.11 graduating GPA, which is the 3rd highest in the UNC system.

Although the majority of incoming freshmen are in-state students, a handful are relocating from states all over the country to be a part of the university.

However, the East Coast has always been home for the majority of out-of-state students – the top ten states that freshmen are enrolling from are all in the eastern part of the country. These states include Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Massachusetts, Illinois, Connecticut and South Carolina.

In addition to the impressive number of freshmen joining our university, just below 1,600 undergraduate transfer students will become Seahawks this semester. Such a statistic regarding students’ desire to leave their previous institution for the atmosphere of Wilmington puts into perspective how UNCW is viewed among its fellow universities.

One particular challenge facing fresh college students this year is the new ruling set forth that all incoming freshmen must reside on campus for their first year. Housing and Residence Life imposed this regulation in order to encourage campus involvement, and to help students build relationships with their peers.

Living on campus drives students to interact with their fellow residents, and plants them at the core of college life by providing the full residence hall experience. However, because of the new decree, many freshmen are occupying temporary living spaces or sharing cramped rooms in order to fit the entire class of 2020 into the existing residence halls.

While these close quarters may seem inconvenient at first, the intimate residence areas have the potential to create a strong bond between the incoming freshman class that previous classes did not have the opportunity to establish.

One of UNCW’s leading values concerning the student population is diversity and respect among each and every individual associated with the university. The admissions department places a high priority on building a diverse community of academically successful young adults that accurately represent the Seahawk spirit and university principles.