First-year enrollment above average

Though colleges around the country, and particularly private institutions, are seeing a decline in enrollment, CSB+SJU is resisting the trend with the class of 2030. The large class of 761 first-years is highlighted by the addition of 408 Johnnies, making this the first year since 2021 that SJU has welcomed an incoming class of greater than 400 students.

The two schools, both of which have experienced a consistent decline in first-year enrollments since the 2000s, have dipped below the 3,000-student mark in the past few years. Despite this, SJU Dean of Students JoNes VanHecke said she feels optimistic about the future.

“Four years is a long time for institutions to be continuing to have challenges around enrollment, especially when margins are so tight at small liberal arts colleges,” VanHecke said. “So, for us to be able to be in a position where we see that trend heading in the right direction is really exciting.”

Corey Klatt, director of SJU Residential Life, largely attributes this year’s enrollment increase to the implementation of the True North Journey.

“I think that the new focus on the True North Journey has really helped to increase enrollment for St. John’s to be able to capitalize on that and really sell the full experience that you’re going to get in your four years at CSB+SJU,” Klatt said.

The new program was one of the many strategies that CSB+SJU admissions, in partnership with the Marketing department, created to combat plummeting admissions numbers.

Dean of Admissions Erin Pearson, who started her role at CSB+SJU in June 2025, said that the strategy was multi-pronged. The institutions’ efforts to increase student matriculation focused on alumni connections, high school student outreach, expanded online applications and more specific marketing for out-of-state students and their parents.

“I think there’s a lot more work to be done so that we’re not just this hidden gem of institutions here in the middle of central Minnesota,” Pearson said. “That’s really where we’re looking to be, not a new concept to them, but as they grow through their high school experience, we’re a natural and organic, relevant place for them to consider when they come here.”

Historically, CSB has seen higher numbers of incoming first-year students than SJU, a tendency that has flipped in recent years. Pearson attributes this change to the dedicated focus on athletics recruiting that has boomed for the Johnnies.

“Athletics, obviously, is another way that we were really able to impress some more of that roster optimization is what it’s been called. It’s basically making sure that we have the right sized teams for the right sizes of the facilities and items that we have available,” Pearson said. “I’m hoping you’ll see something commensurate to that this year to where the Bennie side will increase because of our roster optimizations for our athletic teams. Particularly, that’s where a lot of that influx came for our Johnnies.”

A tumultuous period for undergraduate admissions nation- wide, numbers have inconsistently shifted up and down over the last few years. Despite these uncertainties, VanHecke said she is confident that CSB+SJU can maintain their growth.

“In general, institutions of higher education are really sensitive to the fluctuations that happen within enrollment, and enrollment management is a really critical piece, especially for small colleges,” VanHecke said. “We’d like to think that the things that our talented admission staff are doing is helping make sure that we’re headed in the direction that we want to be.”

Once administration gets students to campus, their focus turns to retaining them for all four years and helping them figure out what their college path will be. Pearson said that this is one of the goals of the True North Journey that students don’t yet understand.

“College is about finding out who you are, but it’s also about who you’re not. And here, at CSB+SJU, you have the opportunity to dip your toe into different things. That’s really what the True North Journey is talking about… you get to chart out your course and make sure that you know when you take that test. If it’s not for you, we have other avenues to still get you where you want to be,” Pearson said.

VanHecke said that she is proud of the work the admissions staff does during the recruiting cycles, specifically their ability to get students on campus to meet professors and other prospective students, see the buildings on campus and ask all the questions that they have.

Pearson echoed these sentiments, saying that her favorite part of the admissions process is getting to interact with future Bennies and Johnnies.

“That’s something that I’m excited to take on when we come to this next year of battling ‘is college worth it?’ Come to campus, and we’ll show you why,” Pearson said.