[The current numbers include 3,980 incoming first-year students on the Athens campus, down 1.6 percent from 4,045 at the same time last fall semester.]

A decline in freshman is not good.


[That freshman class includes 575 students from under-represented backgrounds, or 14.4 percent of the class, which, according to a release from OU, is the highest in its history.]

This is good and another way to measure diversity that just ethnicity.


[The freshman class number reflects an increase of about 40 students from out of state, (a roughly 7.2 percent increase).]

I read this as less Ohioans are choosing OU.


[In addition, this class includes growth in new international students (13, up from seven last year)]

Am I reading it correctly that there are only 13 international students in the freshman class? 13?


[and an increase in students from Appalachian counties (731 students, 18.4 percent of the class).]

I think this is the most significant for OU. This is a very underrepresented area and something OU can better "own". Nice job in getting more of those students into a local college.

http://www.kentwired.com/latest_updates/article_2a629548-...

Worth a read for all the stats about population decline.