Laurentian University hopes to keep enrolment boom going
School looks to build on 21% increase of a year ago
Students across the province are starting to make decisions about their plans for the fall.
According to the Ontario Universities Application Centre, Laurentian University in Sudbury saw a 21-per-cent increase in first-year students last fall.
Now, the school hopes to keep the momentum going.
First-year student James Sutherland made the move from Peterborough to attend Laurentian.
He looked at several universities and chose Laurentian for its commerce program and swim team.
"This one, they really enticed me," he said. "They tried to get me to come here. And the other ones, not so much."
Enrolment director Chris Mercer acknowledges recruitment is still an important part of attracting students.
But he says they're noticing the benefits of positive buzz.
"What we've found is actually the word of mouth from our current students is the biggest asset that we have," Mercer said.
Third-year zoology student Robert Collinson admits Laurentian wasn't his first choice, but now, he wouldn't change a thing.
"I'm a little upset I'm going to be leaving in a couple of years, but it was a great experience," he said.
Provincially, the average increase in first-year students is about two per cent.