More first-year students are enrolling at Carleton with higher entrance averages and a higher percentage are graduating, according to Carleton vice-president (students and enrolment) Suzanne Blanchard.
Since 2003, the percentage of students entering Carleton with averages over 80 per cent increased by eight per cent, according to Blanchard.
In 2013 the admission average for a full-time first-year student was 83.1 per cent, she said.
“Graduation and continuation rates have improved from 63.5 per cent to 71 per cent over the past 10 years,” she said via email.
Along with admission grades and graduation rates, the number of students enrolled has also increased.
The student body has grown by 31.6 per cent since 2002-03, according to Blanchard.
Carleton’s computer science program received extra attention this year.
Enrolment exploded with an increase of 40 per cent compared to last year, according to the School of Computer Science’s interim director Michel Barbeau.
1,068 applicants were received this year and 353 first-year students enrolled, Barbeau said via email.
Blanchard said the typical first-year enrolment for the program is 245 students.
The department is working at full capacity with a total of 1,028 undergraduate students, Barbeau said.
“This growth in popularity can be attributed to the recent rise of mobile applications, for smart phones and tablets, and social networking,” Barbeau said.
He said new fields in technology generate a lot of new ideas and needs for society, making the potential for jobs to increase as well.
Barbeau said the growth of the program can be dealt with for this year, but an expansion of the teaching force will be required if the program continues to be popular.
Blanchard said popular choices this year included the new honours bachelor of cognitive science program and the child studies program, which this year allowed direct entry as opposed to the previous prerequisite of an Early Childhood Education diploma.
The bachelor of arts in criminology and criminal justice, bachelor of engineering, bachelor of international business, bachelor of journalism, and bachelor of public affairs and policy management programs continue to be popular choices at Carleton, Blanchard said.
