Merit Weekend 2016 Proves a Success
LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 29, 2016) — Students from across the Commonwealth and the region made their way to the University of Kentucky for Merit Weekend, which took place March 4-5, 11-12 and 18-19. The feedback from students and family members that attended Merit Weekend has been overwhelmingly positive!
These two-day events, hosted by the University Registrar and the Office of Undergraduate Admission, allowed top potential students early registration for classes and one last look at campus before they make their final decision of where to attend college. Each student was ensured to take away a personal touch of UK after the weekend!
This year, Merit Weekend proved to be a success with 1,127 students enrolled — the largest number in the history of the program, representing an 8 percent increase over last year's record. Students represented 89 different Kentucky counties along with 28 different states.
Merit Weekend was available to invited, admitted students that have displayed academic excellence in high school. The average ACT score of students present during the three weekends was 30.5 and the average SAT score was 1323.
Students not only met with individual advisors to register for fall 2016 classes, but they had the opportunity to talk to current students about what it's like to be a Wildcat. Current UK students offered insider information to Merit Weekend attendees on a more personal level.
These special weekends are not entirely about academics though. Students who attended a Merit Weekend gained a wide perspective of the opportunities, diversity and involvement that awaited them at UK through a variety of information sessions. UK provided countless opportunities to become involved on campus, offering a diverse array of over 550 student organizations.
This event was made possible through collaborations among many entities on campus. Thirteen undergraduate colleges were represented in the enrollment along with 85 different majors.
One consistent theme which buzzed throughout Merit Weekend centered around the personal approach UK took to provide students the upmost "see blue." experience! The university looks forward to welcoming an outstanding freshman class this upcoming fall.
UK is the University for Kentucky. At UK, we are educating more students, treating more patients with complex illnesses and conducting more research and service than at any time in our 150-year history. To read more about the UK story and how you can support continued investment in your university and the Commonwealth, go to: uky.edu/uk4ky. #uk4ky #seeblue
MEDIA CONTACT: Katy Bennett or Rebecca Stratton, katy.bennett@uky.edu or rebecca.stratton@uky.edu, 859-257-1909/859-323-2395