Chapman University opened the 2017-18 academic year by welcoming one of the highest achieving freshmen classes in its history.

Snapshot of 2017-18 Admitted First-Year Students

  • Total applications: 13,170
  • Acceptance rate: 57%
  • High schools represented: 846
  • Average GPA: 3.76
  • First-generation college students: 17%
  • Awarded Pell Grant: 18%
  • Living on campus: 92%

This year also marks the University’s largest-ever entering class totaling 1,650 students in all. Even though the freshman class is slightly larger than anticipated due to an increase in accepted admission offers from our original projections, Chapman University is under the enrollment cap of 8,700 students on our Orange campus as approved by the City of Orange in our Specific Plan.

The University’s total enrollment of students at both the Orange and Irvine campuses amounts to the following:

  • Undergraduate students: 6,410
  • Professional, graduate, and law students: 2,132
    Total enrollment: 8,542

University officials have made extra accommodations for housing, faculty offices, and even class times to preserve the quality student experience we have on campus, while also facilitating a positive climate for our neighbors.

As widely reported, the University’s goal is to house all freshman and sophomores on campus, totaling 50 percent of our undergraduate student body. We have set forth a pragmatic strategy, with counsel from our Neighborhood Advisory Committee, to accomplish this feat. With our first new residence hall scheduled to open in 2019 or 2020, and several additional projects in various stages of planning, we continue to work diligently on this endeavor. Not only is this work important to our surrounding community, it is a top priority for the University.

The Orange County Register recently published a story on Chapman’s growth and student housing. The story features the latest on our land and building purchases and also includes interviews with top University officials. We hope that this article is useful in answering some of the common questions brought forth by our neighbors.

Chapman University strives to build solid relationships throughout the community based on transparency and open communication. We encourage our neighbors to connect with the Office of Community Relations for future updates about issues concerning the campus and its surrounding areas.