Sweet Briar College almost closed last year but the’re getting lots of potential new students now.

USA Today reports.

Sweet Briar College gets record number of applicants

Less than a year after almost closing, Sweet Briar College has received a record-breaking number of applications.

Its old management announced plans in March to shut down the school in August, citing “financial challenges” and declining student interest in small, single-sex liberal arts colleges. But an alumnae-headed movement fought back, wrestled control of the school and ultimately saved Sweet Briar, giving it a new lease on life this year.

Students and faculty say the number of applications – which increased from 751 at this time last year to 1099 this year — is just another sign of a community that has banded together to pull itself back from the brink.

“There’s a sense of trust that has been restored throughout our college,” says Katie Craig, the student body president. “There’s an idea that future sustainability is what we’re all working for.”

Upping enrollment numbers is a key priority from the college, President Phillip Stone tells USA TODAY College, as the new tuition dollars will help put the school on firmer financial ground.

“Whether the president or maintenance workers or faculty, we all are involved in recruiting students and helping them understand the value of residential colleges,” says Stone, who was named the school’s new president in July. “Our job is to sell liberal arts residential education and we need to do a better job of that.”