UK Shows Gains in Quality, Diversity of Freshman Class

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Sept. 15, 2009) – The University of Kentucky has realized gains in the quality and diversity of the entering freshman class for the 2009-10 school year while once again shattering the previous record for applications for admission.

According to preliminary figures, UK's 2009-2010 freshman class is 4,145, an increase from last year's figure of 4,110. The preliminary undergraduate enrollment increased to 19,220 (from 18,988 a year ago), and overall enrollment is now 27,102 (from 26,913 in 2008-09).

The quality of incoming freshman classes continued to improve, with the average ACT score increasing to 24.7, compared to 24.4 last year, including a record 375 incoming students with an ACT Composite score 31-36, up from 292 a year ago. The ACT Composite score median range also increased to 22 to 28, up from a range of 22 to 27 a year ago. The number of Governor's Scholars and Governor's School for the Arts Scholars set another all-time high in 2009-10 with 404, an increase from last year's total of 389. There are 31 National Merit Scholars in the incoming freshman class, 27 Singletary Scholars, and one National Achievement Scholar. The average GPA of incoming freshmen remained consistent at 3.52, the same as in 2008-09.

UK also witnessed a significant increase in minority enrollment, including an all-time high of African-American students enrolled for the 2009-10 freshman class. A total of 404 African-American students enrolled in the freshman class, a 17 percent increase over last year's total of 347. Additionally, the overall African-American enrollment of 1,774 is a 9 percent increase from last year's total of 1,627. Hispanic freshman student enrollment increased by 26 percent (from 62 to 78), and international freshmen student enrollment is up by 38 percent (from 32 to 44).

"The University of Kentucky continues to improve the quality and diversity of our incoming freshman class," said UK President Lee T. Todd Jr. "I am pleased that our admissions staff continues to identify and attract the best and brightest students from across Kentucky and beyond. We once again increased both the number of incoming freshmen and their average ACT score. I am particularly proud of our record-setting African-American enrollment, as well as our ability to attract high-quality transfer students.

“What’s most exciting to me is that I feel that all of these increases can be tied to the quality of our faculty and staff and the unique, world-class educational experience those individuals consistently provide to our students.”

UK Provost Kumble Subbaswamy also pointed to the increase in both enrollment and the quality of incoming students, particularly during a difficult economic climate.

"We have experienced an increase in enrollment despite budget reductions and a tough economy, which is a result of an emphasis on improving access to higher education to Kentuckians," said Subbaswamy. "The quality of the incoming freshmen also continues to trend upward, and we are pleased at our ability to recruit students of the highest caliber to the University of Kentucky."

Subbaswamy also stated that the War on Attrition, a mission of the Provost's Office, continues to be successful. Based on a preliminary analysis, retention of last year's freshmen who returned to UK this year continues to hold steady at 80.5 percent, only a slight decrease from last year's figure of 81 percent.

One highlight on the individual college level came with the College of Engineering, which experienced its most selective and prepared incoming class ever. There are 555 incoming freshmen who have enrolled in the college, a 27 percent increase from last year, with an average ACT composite of 27.5 and an average SAT composite of 1203. There are now 2,017 students enrolled in the College of Engineering, up 15 percent from last year's total of 1,752.

The number of transfer students enrolling at UK for the 2009-10 school year increased, as a total of 1,041 transfer students have enrolled this fall, a 7 percent increase from last year's total of 973. 

Once again this year, UK experienced a record number of applicants, as 12,195 prospective students applied for admission, a 10 percent increase from the then-record 11,120 who applied for the 2008-09 freshman class. This is the first time in UK's history that the number of applicants eclipsed the 12,000 plateau.

"This incoming class reflects our most successful recruiting and enrollment effort to date," said Don Witt, assistant provost for enrollment management. "We have made considerable improvements in both quality and diversity, and I'm particularly pleased with the record number of African-American and Hispanic students in this year's freshman class, as well as the all-time high of Governor's Scholars and Governor's School for the Arts Scholars  who chose UK."

Graduate enrollment experienced a minimal decrease this fall, as 5,713 students enrolled in the graduate and graduate professional programs as compared to 5,783 last year. However, many areas of post-graduate education at UK continue to experience record enrollment.

"We are seeing an all-time high in students enrolled in doctoral programs as well as in the graduate professional programs of nursing, public health, and physical therapy," said Jeannine Blackwell, dean of The Graduate School. "We also continue to increase our overall production of master's and doctoral degrees earned every year."