This Fall, Stockbridge welcomes 72 new students to its hallowed halls and fertile fields. Thirteen of these students are transferring from other colleges to UMass Amherst—the #1 University for Agricultural Sciences in the U.S.. Four are older students joining Stockbridge to earn their second bachelor's degrees, facilitating changes in career direction.
COMPARED TO THE LOW NUMBERS STOCKBRIDGE EXPERIENCED IN FALL 2020, THE YEAR OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC, THE FALL 2023 ENTERING CLASS IS 38% LARGER, AND REPRESENTS A FULL RETURN TO PRE-PANDEMIC ENROLLMENT LEVELS.
In June, UMass President Marty Meehan warned that the university system is sailing into some “very strong headwinds,” with enrollment pressures sparked by lower birth rates, more competition for students, and people questioning the return on investment from a college degree.
The national trend for college enrollments has been tracking downward for several years, posing a recruitment challenge for public and private colleges alike.
Locally, UMass Amherst College of Natural Sciences (CNS) enrollments reflect this trend, declining 7% from Fall 2022, and still 10% below its pre-pandemic numbers in 2019. Stockbridge is a part of CNS.
BUT THE NATIONAL HEADWINDS HAVE HAD LESS OF AN EFFECT ON STOCKBRIDGE SCHOOL OF AGRICULTURE ENROLLMENTS, WHICH HAS SEEN A 40% INCREASE IN APPLICATIONS SINCE 2019.
So how is Stockbridge bucking the trend? The first school located on the land that became Massachusetts Agricultural College, and later UMass Amherst, responded to the pandemic by initiating a series of new recruitment efforts.
Year-round, prospective students and families can now use our Visit Stockbridge page to request a weekday tour, customized to focus on the major that interests them most. The Stockbridge tours, hosted by Stockbridge Director of Student Recruitment Nessim Watson, are separate from the full-campus tours given by UMass Admissions, and provide a close-up view of our school.
THE FOCUSED STOCKBRIDGE TOUR ALLOWS VISITORS TO STEP FOOT IN OUR RESEARCH GREENHOUSE, SEE OUR PLANT AND SOIL SCIENCE LABS, WALK THROUGH OUR PERMACULTURE FOOD GARDEN, MARVEL AT OUR HYDROPONIC FARM, SURVEY OUR 6-ACRE STUDENT FARM, SIT IN OUR LANDSCAPE DRAFTING STUDIOS, AND HUG OUR 100+ YEAR OLD CHAMPION TREES.
This year, we hosted 47 individual Stockbridge tours, plus several groups visiting from local high schools. Nearly 70% of the 2023 entering class visited campus for a Stockbridge tour, personalized to their desired majors. It truly is the best way to immerse yourself in Stockbridge, meet the students eye-to-eye, and see the exact list of specialized courses waiting for you.
The faculty coordinators and advisors for all nine Stockbridge major programs have also collaborated to produce a successful program that offers an “open house” information session and walking tours to students and families interested in Stockbridge.
The open house event is a great chance to chat with Stockbridge faculty and students, and to feel the sense of belonging that attracts outdoorsy and sustainability-minded “plant people” to our doors.
WE’LL BE HOSTING OUR NEXT STOCKBRIDGE OPEN HOUSE ON SUNDAY OCTOBER 15 AS PART OF THE UNIVERSITY’S FALL VISIT DAYS.
Registration for this event, and a schedule of what to expect, will be posted to the Fall Visit Day Registration Page. The event is a great way to confirm that you should apply to Stockbridge and UMass, either by the Early Action deadline of November 5, 2023, or by the Regular Decision deadline of January 15, 2024. Learn more about Early Action vs. Regular Decision.
IN THE SPRING, STOCKBRIDGE HOSTS TWO SIMILAR EVENTS AS PART OF THE UNIVERSITY’S DESTINATION DAYS—SUNDAY FEBRUARY 25 (FOR STUDENTS ACCEPTED THROUGH EARLY ACTION), AND SUNDAY APRIL 7 (FOR STUDENTS ACCEPTED THROUGH REGULAR DECISION).
The goal of the two Spring events is to help newly accepted students decide where to enroll for the following Fall. Nearly 35% of our entering class attended our Fall Visit Day, a Spring Destination Day, or both.
AFTER ATTENDING ONE OF OUR SPRING RECRUITMENT EVENTS, AND MEETING OUR STOCKBRIDGE FACULTY AND STUDENTS, 80% OF OUR CAMPUS VISITORS ENROLLED.
Prospective students are encouraged to start following Stockbridge School of Agriculture on social media, especially our Instagram, and our YouTube channel.
High school juniors and seniors are also encouraged to start documenting the things you do in your life, including school projects, club activities, hobbies, and jobs. A key to being admitted to Stockbridge is your ability to show that you belong here. Taking photos and videos now, and making a home for them online, will give you content for a stronger college application when the time comes.