UVa-Wise sees increase in transfer students and AIMS Scholars

The University of Virginia’s College at Wise welcomed 410 freshman and 130 transfer students for the fall semester, including its first major influx of AIMS Higher Scholars.

The freshman, transfer and returning students boost total enrollment at UVa-Wise to 1,792 students, an increase of 1.6 percent from last year.

“With the current economy, I am very pleased with the size and quality of our freshman and transfer classes,” said Rusty Necessary, vice chancellor for enrollment management. “Both are well prepared academically and are geographically and culturally diverse. Each group brings talents and skills that will strengthen our academic community.”

The incoming freshman class at UVa-Wise has an average high school grade point average of 3.4. Forty-seven percent reside in Southwest Virginia while 26 percent are evenly split between residents of Northern Virginia and Tidewater. Four percent are from the Shenandoah Valley, seven percent from Southside and nine percent from Central Virginia. Seven percent are from Texas, Tennessee, South Carolina, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois and Georgia.

“The College is extending its prominence and recruiting students from farther afield while still being true to our mission of extending the culture of education in Southwest Virginia,” Necessary said.

UVa-Wise received 19 AIMS Higher Scholars this fall. AIMS is a joint program between the four-year liberal arts college and Mountain Empire Community College that allows qualified students from the region to complete an associate’s degree tuition-free at MECC. The students then transfer to UVa-Wise to complete a bachelor’s degree, also tuition-free. Students become AIMS Higher Scholars by succeeding in a specific series of classes beginning in eighth grade until high school graduation.

“If we can keep students in the region for degree completion, we can keep them in the region to become practicing professionals,” Necessary said. “AIMS allows us to present to families a blueprint for a college degree for their children.”

For more information, contact the Office of College Relations at 276-328-0130.

Posted August, 28 2009