Spring Arbor University Sees Double-Digit Enrollment Increase

SPRING ARBOR, Mich., March 25, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Spring Arbor University (SAU) is reporting a significant increase in freshman-class enrollment.  The total number of 2013 freshman enrollees grew by 17.5 percent over the previous year's freshman enrollment (2012).

One contributing factor is SAU's Loan Repayment Assistance Program (LRAP). SAU is the only university in Michigan to offer the LRAP, and its fall 2013 incoming freshmen were automatically enrolled. LRAP guarantees that students and their parents will receive help in repaying educational loans following graduation, if their income does not meet pre-established program benchmarks.

Other contributing factors include SAU's commitment to student health. In a national ranking by the Daily Beast, SAU was publicly recognized as one of the healthiest colleges in America for 2013. The University was also ranked in the top tier of the "Midwestern Regional Universities" category of colleges and universities by the 2014 edition of the U.S. News and World Report's America's Best Colleges.

The University's enrollment has steadily increased over the past several years. In 2007, SAU surpassed the 4,000 mark, and in the past five years, enrollment for its online programs has increased 130 percent to over 400 students. Traditional undergraduate enrollment has increased 10 percent in the last five years to its current on-campus enrollment of approximately 1,600 students.

Campus improvements have also continued steadily since 2000 with a wide range of new buildings and renovations, the most recent being the renovation and addition to the Student Life Center, which was completed last spring adding 20,000 square feet including new and/or expanded meeting spaces, bookstore, health care facility and much more.

"We are glad to see that all the services and amenities Spring Arbor offers are contributing to an increase in student enrollment," said SAU president Brent Ellis. "We are committed to fulfilling our mission to help students pursue wisdom in their studies and in their faith as they live out their purpose as ambassadors for Christ.

For more information about Spring Arbor University and LRAP, please visit www.Arbor.Edu.  

Founded in 1873, Spring Arbor University (SAU) is a Christian liberal arts institution with its main campus in Spring Arbor near Jackson, Michigan. The University delivers a lifetime of benefits associated with a Christian college education to its more than 4,000 enrolled students and provides an excellent return on investment. More than 70 undergraduate majors and programs, seven degree-completion, two associate, and eight graduate programs are available online and at 18 locations across Michigan and Ohio. For more information, visit www.Arbor.Edu.

SOURCE Spring Arbor University