Best-Ever First-year Class of 4,100 Joins UMass Amherst As Campus Welcomes Back Students on Labor Day Weekend
Sept. 2, 2009
| Contact: | Ed Blaguszewski 413/545-0444 |
AMHERST, Mass. – First-year students with the best academic credentials in the history of the University of Massachusetts Amherst will be welcomed to campus this weekend. The Class of 2013 will move in Sunday, Sept. 6, approximately 4,100 students selected from a record 29,469 applicants.
“UMass Amherst ranks among the best public research universities in the country, and we’re proud to have an outstanding group of new students from across the Commonwealth and the nation join our community this fall,” said Chancellor Robert C. Holub. “The arrival of this accomplished class is yet another indicator of the university’s excellence.” Fall semester classes begin Tuesday, Sept. 8.
The academic profile of this entering class continues a steady rise and stands at a record high. SAT scores increased by 16 points from 1155 to 1171, the second year of double-digit increases, and an increase of 29 points since fall 2007. High school GPA rose from 3.56 to 3.57, and on average students rank in the top 20 percent of their high school class, an improvement of one percentage point.
The success of UMass Amherst students is also reflected in the record number of bachelor’s degrees earned this year, 4,431, and a best-ever student continuation rate of 87 percent from freshman to sophomore year.
The demographic characteristics of the entering class are similar to last year. The percentage of ALANA (African, Latino, Asian/Pacific Islander and Native American) students remains at 22 percent, and the proportion of out-of-state students is 22 percent, a decline of 1 percent.
This was the fourth year that the campus offered an Early Action (EA) admissions program, which allows students to apply for admission and receive notification of their acceptance by mid-December. EA applications grew by 22 percent, so now more than one-fourth of students apply through EA.
In this academic year, to ensure continued access to the university, UMass Amherst has dedicated $28 million in financial aid to its students, which approximately doubles campus funding for financial aid compared to just six years ago.
Overall undergraduate enrollment at the state’s flagship state university will be about the same as last year, with approximately 19,350 students enrolled. More than 12,000 students will move into residence halls over Labor Day weekend.
E-mail story to a friend 
Printer-friendly version
