Acceptance Rate Fluctuates During the Pandemic

Marist's Admissions Office is delighted by the positive changing Marist has made and where it is moving for the future. Source: Marist Admissions

Marist’s acceptance rate jumped from 42% to almost 50% similar to many other colleges in the early stages of Covid-19. Besides Marist’s acceptance rate increasing, the college faced a decline in student enrollment when accepted to the college. Many deferred their enrollment because of the restrictions Covid caused. 

“The inability for students and their families to visit campus during the pandemic greatly impacted their decision to apply and if accepted, enroll at the college,” said Sean Kaylor, the Vice President for Enrollment, Marketing and Communication. “When students visit Marist and see the beauty of the campus, tour our state-of-the-art facilities and meet the wonderful members of the community, it positively influences them in the college search process.”

To combat this challenge and still enable prospective students and families to see the school. They implemented “Self-guided walking” and driving tours in the Spring of 2020. “This new take on the campus tour allowed people to visit on their convenient schedules and get the feel of the campus while also keeping the Marist community safe from Covid,” Kaylor said.  

Marist’s male-to-female ratio has always been slightly uneven, as the college is composed of about 60% women and just over 40% men.

“In recent years, we have started some new academic offerings that statistically appeal to more men, like Cybersecurity and Games and Emerging Media, though many women are involved and pursue them,” Kaylor said. 

For the future, Kaylor expresses the college's goal to increase its diversity and become more selective. “Our goal moving forward is to attract more highly qualified and increasingly more diverse students to apply to Marist from all across the US and abroad while working with the rest of the college community to identify ways to make Marist more affordable for those who wish to enroll.” Kaylor said.

Marist is holding an in-person Admitted Students Weekend on April 2 & 3 and April 9 & 10, for prospective students to solidify their choice to come to Marist before May 1.