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Last week, Ohio State welcomed nearly 7,000 freshman to campus from all corners of the country and in some cases, the world. There was, however, one place from which no students came — Wyoming. 

Incoming freshmen hail from 49 of the 50 states, said Vern Granger, vice president for enrollment services and director of admission.

This year, 42,790 students applied to OSU and of those, 19,459 were admitted, Granger said. From Wyoming, eight students applied, three were admitted, but none chose to go to OSU. 

“It’s common for not all the 50 states to be represented,” Granger said. In an average year, students in the freshman class come from 47-49 states, he said. 

“We are bringing in truly the best and brightest (students),” Granger said.

States that have the highest out-of-state enrollment are Illinois, Pennsylvania, New York, California and Michigan, according to OSU’s undergraduate website. 

With a university as large as OSU, some students said they were surprised that each freshman class doesn’t have representatives from all 50 states. 

Cheyenne Vanfossen, a third-year in strategic communication and sociology from West Lafayette, Ohio, said she thought OSU would have strived to have students from each state.

“With how much OSU prides itself on diversity, I would think that having all 50 states in attendance would be the crown jewel in its collection of accomplishments, admission-wise,” Vanfossen said.

But there could be other factors affecting the lack of students from states like Wyoming. According to the United States Census Bureau, Wyoming had an estimated population of more than 582,600 in 2013, with only 24.3 percent of the state having earned a bachelor’s degree or higher — compared to the national average of 28.5 percent.

With an increase of more than 7,000 applications from last year, the admission process has become very competitive, Granger said.

Based on the average ACT score of 28.8 for the freshman class, Granger said that he is “projecting that it’s one of the highest scores in history.”

According to OSU’s undergraduate admissions website, students are considered for admission based on their academic performance and other factors, including class rank and GPA, ACT and SAT scores and the “ability and desire to contribute to a diverse campus community.”

Mackenzie Lingenfelter, a first-year in biology, said she thought it was strange that her class didn’t have students from all 50 states. 

“I’m surprised because we’re supposed to be one of the most diverse (universities) and we don’t have everyone from the U.S.,” she said.