Montclair State University Reaches Highest Enrollment in its History

Montclair State University hasn’t served this many students in all its 106 years.

The university announced Monday that its enrollment had reached 20,022, making it the highest enrollment it’s had in history. The numbers include 15,885 undergraduate and 4,137 graduate students.

“With more than 20,000 students, Montclair State remains New Jersey’s second largest university. This fall, our students have come from every county in New Jersey, from 16 states and from many foreign countries,” said Montclair State University President Susan Cole. “We are proud to have attracted such a very strong, highly diverse and talented class of students this year.”

This has been a time of great change for the university as newly enrolled students will be among the first to study in two new facilities -- the Center for Environmental and Life Sciences and the School of Business -- that are currently in their final phases of construction.

MSU received a $750-million cut of the Bond Act, approved by voters in 2012, and $94 million from the state to facilitate these projects -- more than any other senior public or private institution.

Students will also have the opportunity to participate in its newest journalism degree program by the School of Communication and Media. The University also opened its newest residence and dining facility called The Heights three years ago.

The university also changed its admissions protocol, with incoming freshmen the last required to submit their SAT and/or ACT scores. It is the first public university in the state to do away with mandated standardized testing for admission.

“We are now certain that the most powerful predictor of college success is a student’s performance in high school and, in particular, the high school GPA and the rigor of the courses taken,” said Cole. “The new admissions protocol will better support our mission of serving a talented and striving student population that reflects the full socio-economic and ethnic diversity of New Jersey.”