The 422 first-year students and 74 transfer students were selected from a pool of more than 2,700 applicants and are a diverse and talented group.

The College continues its commitment to enrolling a national and international student body that will provide cross-cultural learning opportunities broadening all students’ experiences. Forty six percent of the Class of 2018 is from outside Illinois and students hail from 34 states and 39 countries including Belize, Botswana, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Caracuo, Columbia, Ecuador, Egypt, Eritrea, Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Guatemala, Honduras, Hungary, India, Ireland, Jamaica, Japan, Italy, Lebanon, Lesotho, Malawi, Maritius, Mexico, Philippines, Poland, Russia, Serbia, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tajikistan, United Kingdom, Uzbekistan, Spain, and Swaziland. In addition to English, there are 46 languages spoken among the new group of students.

Academically, the new class is a strong one with an average grade point average of 3.67 with 50 percent graduating in the top 20 percent of their high school class.

Their extracurricular activities and interests are as diverse as their hometowns and they will contribute richly to the campus community. They have fun talents ranging from plate spinner, to fashion designer, to henna tattoo artist, to record -holding hot dog eater, to falconer, to competitive chess player. They are musicians, entrepreneurs, athletes, eagle scouts, and volunteers.

With the addition of these new Foresters, the student body now totals 1,600 students from nearly every state and more than 75 countries.

The 422 first-year students and 74 transfer students were selected from a pool of more than 2,700 applicants and are a diverse and talented group.

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