The 2019 Fall Semester Is Here, And It’s An Exciting Time To Be Part Of Shenandoah University.

Largest Incoming Classes

This semester, the university welcomed its largest freshman class ever, with about 500 students, and its second-largest graduate class, with more than 680 students.

The average first-year retention rate is currently 84 percent — well above the national average.

Small Class Sizes

As always, Shenandoah emphasizes small class size (66% of classes at Shenandoah have fewer than 20 students and only 2% of classes have 50 or more students) and a low student-to-teacher ratio (10:1).

200+ Areas Of Study

Shenandoah University is offering nearly 40 new areas of study this year, including an MBA Global Executive Track being offered in China, a Population Health Graduate Certificate, a Graduate Certificate in Applied Behavior Analysis, a Bachelor of Arts in Recording and Audio Arts, a Doctor of Occupational Therapy, and a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Science in Virtual Reality Design.

Shenandoah now has more than 200 areas of study.

High-Ranking Health Care Programs

Shenandoah’s Physician Assistant Studies graduate program hit high marks with its ranking of 21st in the country, which is tied with Stanford University, according to the 2020 Best Graduate Schools Rankings from U.S. News & World Report.

The university’s Master of Science in Nurse-Midwifery ranked as the nation’s 24th best.

Champions on the Field, the Classroom and in the Community

The Department of Intercollegiate Athletics, with 21 teams and approximately 550 student-athletes, achieved a first this past year as all 21 teams achieved at least a 3.0 team GPA in both the fall and spring semesters. The student-athletes had a 3.25 average GPA for the spring 2019 semester, and 231 student-athletes were named Academic All-ODAC.

For the first time in seven seasons of ODAC play, the department had two ODAC champions as the women’s basketball and men’s baseball teams both captured league titles in 2018-19.

For the baseball team, it was their second straight title and fourth overall, while the women’s basketball team became the lowest seed to ever win the title by sweeping the first, fourth, and third seeds from the eighth-seed spot.

The women’s basketball team not only claimed the championship, but they posted the nation’s highest GPA. The team posted a 3.764 GPA for the 2018-19 academic year to top Vassar College by .001 to lead all NCAA Division III schools.

Baseball completed its year by winning the Union Regional of the NCAA Division III Tournament.

Senior Shamyra Wilkerson became Shenandoah’s first-ever track & field All-America by finishing eighth in the 200 meters at the 2019 NCAA Division III Indoor Championships. She was also the athletic department’s nominee for the NCAA Woman of the Year.

The athletic department also led in community service by performing more than 5,000 hours in the Winchester/Frederick County community.

The student-athlete advisory committee also was recognized by the NCAA for its outreach with the Special Olympics.

New Esports Arena

The university’s new esports arena is currently under construction in a remodeled space in the former National Guard armory building on the main campus. The facility will not only accommodate the students in the university’s new Bachelor of Science in Esports program, but it will also serve as a venue for high school events.

Health Professions Exam Pass Rates Higher Than National Averages

Shenandoah health professions students boast impressive professional exam performances:

• 96% pass rate: 2019 National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) average for Shenandoah nursing graduates (significantly higher than national average)
• 100%: 2018 Board of Certification exam first-time pass rate for Shenandoah University Master of Science in Athletic Training graduates
• 94%: 2018 first-time pass rate for the Physician Assistant National Certifying Exam (PANCE) for Shenandoah University Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies program graduates
• 100%: pass rate for the National Board of Certification in Occupational Therapy exam for 2018 graduates of Shenandoah’s Master of Science in Occupational Therapy program
• 100%: pass rate for the National Physical Therapy Examination for Shenandoah University Doctor of Physical Therapy program 2018 graduates. (The 2018 national pass rate was 98.3%.)
• 90.8%: Pharmacy Class of 2018 exceeds national first-time NAPLEX pass rate. The national first-time pass rate is 89.5%

Exciting SU News From The Past Year

• 92% of our recent graduates have a positive career outcome (employed, enrolled in additional education or military or volunteer service)
• Surveyed recent graduates have a median salary of $55,000 within six months of graduation
• Shenandoah’s improv team, The Loaf, won the 2019 National College Improv Tournament.
• In 2018-2019, 295 students participated in Global Experiential Learning trips, including ones to Switzerland, Morocco, England, and on physical therapy and music therapy-based trips to Belize and Guatemala.
• Shenandoah is included in The Princeton Review’s 2018 “Guide to 399 Green Colleges.”
• Former musical theatre student Roman Banks became the first person of color to play the title role in the Broadway smash “Dear Evan Hansen” in December 2018.