On August 25, the School of Engineering will welcome a freshman class of nearly 500 students – over 100 more students than matriculated in fall 2007. Marty Wood, Assistant Dean for Undergraduate Education, said “We are delighted to see such a large and highly qualified class of incoming students. These figures attest to the success of our ongoing efforts to engage, inform and recruit the largest class of top students ever.” Besides growing in sheer volume, the class is characterized by greater academic achievement and broader regional origin than in previous years.

The average combined verbal and math SAT score of the incoming freshman class is 1268; the number of valedictorians and salutatorians is, at 27, 17% higher than last year; and the number of incoming freshmen receiving UConn academic merit scholarships increased by 65%, from 82 in fall ’07 to 135 in fall ’08. The new engineering class includes 68 UConn Academic Excellence Scholars – a rise of 100% over last year’s figures; three Day of Pride Scholars – top academic performers from disadvantaged backgrounds; and 37 Leadership Scholars – a nearly 50% increase over last year’s numbers. Another indicator of excellence in this year’s freshman class is a 50% increase in the number of Honors Program participants versus last year’s class, with the heaviest concentrations of Honors students in the Biomedical Engineering and Chemical Engineering programs.

In addition, this year’s class reflects dramatic growth in out-of-state students, with a 46% increase over last year’s numbers – evidence that UConn Engineering is increasingly attracting students beyond Connecticut’s borders.

The figures reflect the ongoing success of the School’s efforts to position UConn Engineering as among the best in the nation. According to Mr. Wood, “the School’s growing reputation as a leading engineering school, along with generous undergraduate scholarships, strong diversity initiatives and outreach programs, have made UConn Engineering an obvious first choice for top students across the region”.

Dean of Engineering Mun Y. Choi hailed the news, saying “UConn Engineering offers one of the best educational programs in the nation. These figures are in line with our expectations: our enrollments will only continue to grow as greater numbers of academically gifted students and their families take a close look at all we have to offer.”