Providence Christian College welcomed its largest class in school history for the third consecutive year. More than 80 new students arrived at Providence over the past few weekends. The first group of student-athletes for the new men’s and women’s soccer teams and women’s volleyball team arrived on Saturday, August 15 and the rest of the new students arrived on Saturday, August 22.

This year’s incoming class is a 71% increase from 2014′s incoming class and will help to grow the total student body by roughly 61%. The launch of the athletics programs gave a substantial boost to an already robust recruiting class of new students.

New students’ home states include Arizona, Washington, Iowa, Michigan, Hawaii, and Texas with roughly half of students coming from California. International students from Canada, Brazil and Jamaica also began their tenure at Providence this fall.

This is the inaugural year of Sea Beggar soccer (men’s and women’s), volleyball (women’s) and cycling and the second year of baseball. Cross country takes its place among the lineup of athletics as the founding sport and this will be the 7th season of competition for the men’s and women’s cross country team. Providence joined the NAIA in February of this year and will be competing in its first official season of collegiate play.

Members of student senate, the resident life staff, and members of the inaugural first year experience (FYE) program joined the new students to welcome them to campus. The group departed for a two-day retreat from Sunday to Tuesday in the San Bernardino Mountains in Forest Falls, California

Classes begin on Wednesday, August 26 and convocation exercises are 11 am in Franson Hall on the campus of Providence at 1539 E Howard Street in Pasadena, CA. The public is welcome to attend. The women’s volleyball team plays their first home game on Saturday, August 29 at 6:00 pm. Home volleyball games are located just two miles from the Providence campus at Victory Park (2575 Paloma Street) in Pasadena, CA.