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Lafayette has again set standards for academic quality with its first-year class.
The College welcomed the 586 members of the Class of 2007 for First-Year Orientation yesterday. New and returning students begin classes Monday, Aug. 25.
The proportion of students ranking in the top 10 percent of their high-school class is 61 percent, and the mean SAT score is 1270, both all-time highs.
The College received 5,835 applications, the most ever, an increase of 6 percent over last year. In the last four years applications have increased by 32 percent. The admission rate of 36 percent equals last year’s record low.
This year’s student quality and admissions selectivity continue Lafayette’s upward trend. In the last seven years the average SAT score of incoming classes has improved by 54 points. The ratio of students in the top decile in high-school class rank has grown by 65 percent. At the same time Lafayette has improved its acceptance rate and yield by 43 percent and 40 percent, respectively.
Students of color make up 17 percent of the class, with 76 U.S. minority students and 24 foreign nationals of color. The class includes 46 percent women.
Academic scholarships continue to help Lafayette become the college of choice for increasing numbers of top applicants.
Under the Lafayette Scholars program, 92 of the most outstanding members of the Class of 2007 will receive more than $1 million in financial awards based on academic merit. These include 64 students named Marquis Scholars and 28 students selected to receive Trustee Scholarships.
“Many outstanding students seek out schools that are going to recognize their academic excellence,” says Carol A. Rowlands, director of admissions. “The fact that we recognize students’ academic achievements in high school through our Marquis and Trustee scholarships makes people take notice.”
Marquis Scholars and Trustee Scholarship recipients were among the most distinguished graduates in the Class of 2003. Of the 75 Marquis Scholars receiving degrees at Lafayette’s 168th commencement in May, 27 earned departmental honors for outstanding performance in writing a senior thesis or conducting senior research. Twenty-seven were invited to join Phi Beta Kappa, 20 were elected to Sigma Xi, the national scientific research society, and 11 are in Tau Beta Pi, the national engineering honor society. Fifty-eight earned Latin honors with grade point averages of 3.50 or above, including 31 graduating summa cum laude (3.80 or higher).
Of 24 graduating Trustee Scholarship recipients, 6 earned departmental honors, 7 were invited into Phi Beta Kappa, and 15 earned Latin honors.
Admissions Statistics, Classes of 2000 through 2007
—————-Applications–Accept Rate—Yield—–In Top 10%—SAT*
Class of 2007——-5,835——-36%——-27.6%——-61%——-1270
Class of 2006——-5,504——-36%——-29.2%——-58%——-1267
Class of 2005——-5,195——-39%——-28.6%——-57%——-1242
Class of 2004——-5,038——-40%——-27.6%——-55%——-1240
Class of 2003——-4,429——-48%——-27.3%——-51%——-1248
Class of 2002——-4,478——-54%——-24.7%——-41%——-1223
Class of 2001——-4,177——-58%——-23.5%——-38%——-1209
Class of 2000——-4,546——-63%——-20.3%——-37%——-1216
*Mean combined SAT I score