Lincoln (Neb.) - Sept. 4, 1997 - Concentrated efforts to recruit top-caliber students and higher admissions standards have resulted in the best freshman class ever to enter the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, including a record number of National Merit Scholars.
Chancellor James Moeser said, "One of my major goals has been to recruit the best and brightest Nebraskans to the University of Nebraska. Clearly our efforts are paying off in dramatic fashion."
James Griesen, vice chancellor for student affairs, said this year's freshmen - the first group admitted under new admissions requirements - sport better academic records than any previous class. He credited the new standards for the increase in top scholars, as well as for a slight decline in freshman enrollment.
"Because of the new admission standards, we knew we would have a smaller freshman class this year," Griesen said. "The enrollment numbers we're experiencing are about what we expected. However, within that overall number of new freshmen, we're finding we have even more top scholars and more students who scored a 25 and above on their ACT than we had last year."
Griesen said that last year, 269 students scored 30 or better on their ACT. This year, 347 student scored that well - a 29 percent increase. There was also an 8 percent increase in the number of students who scored 25-29 on their ACT. Griesen said that should mean higher retention rates for students, which in the future could more than offset the decline in the size of the enrolling class.
He said there will be close to 3,100 new freshmen on campus when all the final figures are tallied - about 500 fewer freshmen than last year.
In addition, Nebraska enrolled 45 new National Merit Scholar Finalists this fall, as compared to 18 who enrolled in 1996.
The chancellor noted that recruiting efforts have succeeded in informing high-ability students that the university offers first-rank educational opportunities. More students are choosing to attend the University of Nebraska, he said, rather than leaving for universities in neighboring states.
"We offer an education that is second to none," Moeser said. "High quality education at a good value."
"The average ACT score for NU freshmen last year was 23.28. It has increased this year to 24.26," Griesen said. "It's very hard to move the average for a group of 3,000 or more. The fact that the average increased an entire percentage point in just one year is remarkable."
The number of freshmen who graduated in the top 10 percent of their high school class is also up. This year, 25 percent were in the top percentile; last year it was 21 percent. The number of new freshmen who graduated in the top half of their class rose to 86 percent, up from last year's 78 percent, and the great majority of those below the 50th percentile scored a 20 or higher on the ACT.
"Our efforts to recruit high ability students and the new
admissions standards are playing out exactly as we expected and
hoped they would," he said. "Clearly we're having success in
attracting Nebraska's best and brightest."
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