On Sept. 7, 2022, Quincy University held a press conference announcing the largest freshman class the university has had in 30 years. With a 33% increase since last school year, Quincy University welcomed 307 freshmen to campus this fall. This is the largest freshman class since 1992. Members of the Advancement office provided mimosas and cookies for those who attended. 

“I think it was instrumental to the success of our university. Seeing the growth of enrollment over the past five years that I have been employed gives us a phenomenal foundation for continued growth and excellence here at Quincy University,” Eric Ruppel said. 

The total count of new students at Quincy University is 463. Since the fall semester in 2021, there has been an 8% increase in total enrollment at the university. The total enrollment number across all of campus, this includes all undergraduate and graduate students, stands exactly at 1,250. 

Matt Bergman is the Director of Development, Alumni and Community Relations at Quincy University. Also a member of the 1999 graduating class, he is very passionate about this school as well as the growth people are witnessing. 

“Today is really monumental for the university to be able to announce a class of this size within times that are so uncertain. At the same time, it is really exciting to see where QU is going to go in the future and this is just the beginning. We are setting up the stage so that we will have a brighter future as we continue to say this is just the start of what is going to happen at QU. As we expand with new academic and athletic programs, this is truly just the beginning,” Bergman said. 

The class of 2026 flies into QU with a lot of diversity. Members of this freshman class come from 150 different high schools located in 27 different states as well as 14 different countries. As always at Quincy University, the majority of this freshman class as well the majority of everyone else enrolled at this university comes from Illinois and Missouri. 

The class of 2026 also graduated high school with an average GPA of 3.40 and received an average score of 1155 on the SAT. Sixty percent were admitted as test optional. 

Brianna Rivera is the assistant director of admission at Quincy University. The school’s admissions team is extremely proud of what has happened for QU in terms of growth and cannot wait to see the school continue to bloom. 

“The admission team is so excited about these final numbers and we are just ready to hit the ground running and start this next class. Here’s to another recruiting year and we hope to have a similar outcome,” Rivera said. 

As many new students enter campus this year and the admission team hopes to stay at this pace, many concerns are rising around campus. The main concern has been how parking is becoming a problem on campus. If more students continue to enroll at QU, the campus will run out of parking spaces around the school. Some students believe the infrastructure is not there to continue growing at this rate. For years students have been saying they want another parking lot on campus, now it feels as if they need it. 

Students on campus are also concerned about housing space running thin. For years, male freshmen have lived in Helien Hall. This school year, the freshmen men are still living in Helien Hall, but are also occupying the first two floors of Padua Hall. In the past, Padua Hall has been a single occupancy building. The freshmen men are currently doubled up in their rooms, just like the people living in Helien Hall. This brings up the question, if the school continues to grow at this rate, how will the university be able to house everyone?

Quincy University’s North Campus has its own housing area that is currently not being used by the university. Some majors spend the majority of their time at North Campus and may prefer to live there instead due to their class schedules. These living spaces are where the university quarantined students who tested positive for the coronavirus. 

Taryn Sargent was quarantined at North Campus and believes North Campus housing has potential to be a great space for students long term. 

“The rooms are huge, they could honestly make money here if they renovated it. People would pay premium, especially for a single of that size. There are varying sizes just like Friars, and there are also some connecting rooms. Two students can definitely fit comfortably in those rooms, way more comfortable than Padua,” Sargent said.