The University welcomed the entering class at InfoCision Stadium - Summa Field on Friday evening. The class has the highest average GPA of any class in UA history, and it has a record number of Honors students.
THIS YEAR'S ENTERING CLASS breaks several records:
- the highest number of applications,
- the highest average GPA,
- the largest entering Honors freshman class,
- the largest Honors College enrollment overall, and
- the highest number of minority entering freshman Honors students.
This all occurred in a highly competitive market with a decreasing population of traditional-age college freshmen.
"The fall semester is off to a promising start and the new freshman class is larger and even better prepared than last year’s entering class," said UA President Scott Scarborough.
Though numbers are not yet confirmed until mid-September, there are many preliminary indicators that are most promising:
More than 18,700 freshmen students applied, compared to more than 13,600 last year.
- Overall freshman enrollment is up 2% with nearly 4,300 students currently registered. This is a significant shift that took place in one year: Enrollment was down 9.5% for the Fall 2012 class and down 10% for Fall 2013, resulting in nearly 1,000 fewer students in those combined entering classes.
- Among first-time freshmen on main campus pursuing a bachelor’s degree, enrollment is up 9.4%, and the average GPA -- the best predictor of college success -- is again up slightly from the year before, from 3.33 to now 3.35, the highest in UA’s history. Their average ACT is 23.0 compared to 23.3 last year.
- Our Honors College is seeing record enrollment, with nearly 600 new freshmen students (compared to 347 last year) and an increase in minorities enrolled, from 4.0% last year to 9.3% in this year’s entering Honors freshman class. The overall enrollment of all Honors students is now at 1,828, a record number for UA. Entering Honors freshmen average a 4.0 GPA and a 28.9 ACT.
- The University is seeing a noteworthy increase in minority students enrolled at UA, including African Americans and Hispanics, along with an increase in students from outside of Ohio. This year’s entering class has 25.1% minority enrollment, compared to 23.9% last year.
- As UA is able to provide more scholarship dollars to more students, it has seen a nearly 14% increase since 2013 and 16% increase since 2012 in enrolled students who qualified for general scholarships based on merit. Our new underrepresented scholarship was awarded to 274 students, contributing to our enrollment growth and student college preparedness. Our Akron Public School Innovation Generation Scholars in the entering class now number 83, up from 50 last year.
Media contact: Eileen Korey, 330-972-8589 or korey@uakron.edu
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