Back to School! NC State Welcomes New Freshman Class, Returning Students

North Carolina State University is howling with excitement about students returning to campus and the arrival of a new Wolfpack freshman class. NC State’s fall semester begins Wednesday, Aug. 21.

NC State received 21,839 freshman applications, and expects a freshman class of 4,200, as well as 1,200 transfer students. The new arrivals will bring NC State’s student body to more than 34,000. The class has a weighted high school grade point average of 4.43. Forty-six students had perfect scores on the math portion of the SAT, while 20 students had perfect critical reading scores.

Fifty percent of the expected freshmen were in the top 10 percent of their high school class, and 79.4 percent of the incoming class were in the top 20 percent. The class hails from 98 of North Carolina’s 100 counties, as well as 40 other states and 32 countries.

Engineering is the most popular college for incoming freshmen.

Students living on campus began moving in to residence halls Aug. 16, and the biggest housing news was the opening of Wolf Ridge, the first student residence on NC State’s Centennial Campus. Find more information on housing at www.ncsu.edu/housing.

New arrivals will also be able to help NC State continue its tradition of giving back to the community by participating in the Service NC State Blood Drive on Friday, Aug. 23. The drive will take place from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. in Carmichael Gym, and the goal is to collect at least 1,200 pints of blood. You can make an appointment to participate in the blood drive at http://csleps.dasa.ncsu.edu/service-nc-state-blood-drive.

Everyone is welcome at NC State’s second annual Packapalooza festival, on Saturday, Aug. 24. The event is a block party and street festival lasting from 2 to 10 p.m. on Hillsborough Street by main campus. More information is available at http://packapalooza.ncsu.edu/.

NC State’s Office of Parents & Families Services and campus partners will continue the Parents’ Helpline program. Families with questions or concerns may call a toll-free number (877/568-5733) or e-mail ncsuparents@ncsu.edu for assistance. Members of the NC State Parents & Families Association have access to a number of helpful programs and services. Go to www.ncsu.edu/for_parents for more details.

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