Calvin College has an official 2000-2001 enrollment of 4,314 students the school announced today. That number includes full-time, part-time and graduate students.

That is Calvin's highest enrollment since 1989 and the fourth-highest enrollment in school history. This year's final number is up 41 students from last year and marks the eighth straight year that Calvin's total enrollment has risen.

A first-year class of 1,053 students propelled the rise in total enrollment.

Tom McWhertor, Calvin's vice president for enrollment and external relations, noted that both the first-year class and the final enrollment number could have been even higher. "This year, for the first time in many years," said McWhertor, "Calvin turned away a number of students who wanted to be members of the entering class. We had students on a 'wait-list' at the end of the summer since their enrollment would have boosted our overall enrollment above the targets established by our Board (of Trustees) in our current strategic plan."

McWhertor said several factors are responsible for Calvin's solid enrollment. "Our Admissions and Financial Aid staff are to be commended," he said. "But all of their work would be for naught without the good things happening here that draw students -- from our top-notch faculty to new majors to new state-of-the-art buildings to support scholarship and research. We're committed to offering a first-class, Christian education at Calvin."

Calvin's class of 2004 is 56.6% female, 52.5% Michiganian and 47.0% Christian Reformed. In addition 56% are top scholarship recipients and 36% are children of Calvin alumni. Canadian citizens make up 5% of the first-year class, while international citizens make up another 3.4%. And 6.5% of the U.S. students in the first-year class are students of color.

Overall, this year's student body is 55.8% female, 54.3% Michiganian, 51.4% Christian Reformed, 4.7% Canadian and 3.5% international citizenship. In addition 5.6% are students of color.