USF welcomes its most academically-talented freshman class

[Ricky the Bull]

http://news.usf.edu/article/templates/?a=3649&z=119

By Lara Wade

USF News

TAMPA, Fla. (Aug. 22, 2011) – The Fall Semester began Monday with about 47,000 students enrolled in the University of South Florida System. 

The USF Tampa Fall 2011 Freshman class – the 2015 graduating class – is the most academically talented in the history of the campus with an average SAT of 1203; ACT of 27; and High School GPA of 3.91. USF is enrolling 20 National Merit, one National Achievement and nine National Hispanic Scholars.

        Average SAT score is up 27 points from 1176 to 1203, surpassing the previous Fall term high of 1194 in 2009.

        Average ACT score is up one point from 26 to 27.  The ACT interquartile range is also up, from 23-28 to 25-29.

        Average High School GPA has increased a tenth of a point, from 3.81 to 3.91.

USF Health also welcomed its largest class of medical students, 139, including the first 19 members of the new SELECT program (Scholarly Excellence, Leadership Experiences, Collaborative Training).  These students are chosen in part by measures of emotional intelligence.  The SELECT program is a partnership with Lehigh Valley Health Network, where students in the program will be in residence for years three and four of their medical school experience.  In addition, USF Health launched the 53-strong charter class of the new College of Pharmacy, under founding dean Kevin Sneed, who is driven by a new model of pharmacists as the center of personalized medicine teams.

The graduate student headcount now represents 25 percent of the USF student body with an increase in doctoral enrollment, balancing a reduction in master’s enrollment.

Overall, diversity of USF Tampa's student body remains very strong with 35.2% of students from traditionally underrepresented groups - African American, American Indian, Asian, Hawaiian Pacific, Hispanic and Multi-race.  International student headcount is up 20.8% at USF Tampa and 21.1% for the System, which is the result of an intentional effort to extend the global diversity of USF's student body to enhance the quality and relevance of a USF education.  International students currently represent 4.2% of USF Tampa’s total enrollment and 3.7% of the USF System’s enrollment overall.

USF embarked on the 2011-12 enrollment effort in pursuit of student success objectives.  These objectives include:

        Enrolling FTICs (First Time in College) and transfers who are prepared academically, socially, and financially for success

        Aligning enrollment with optimal capacity to deliver the curriculum and services

        Lowering the student to faculty ratio

        Maintaining a teaching and learning environment that provides the educational benefits of diversity, broadly understood to include out of state and international students

        Providing on-campus residence to more students

Paul Dosal, Vice Provost for Student Success, said, “In this context, we can and should highlight the higher academic profile of the FTICs without losing sight of other objectives.  We did not raise the SAT and GPA scores simply to raise the scores.  We raised those scores as part of a balanced, comprehensive student success initiative that is a critical component of our strategic plan.â€

For a more in-depth look at the numbers, review the USF E-Profile site located on the USF website here: http://usfweb3.usf.edu/eprofiles/

Lara Wade can be reached at 813-974-9060.

[CyberBull]

That's a nice looking freshman class profile. Kids are making USF their first choice as evidenced by the test scores and GPAs.

Go Bulls

[gomiami1972]

I should be glad I attended USF when I did.  Not sure I would be admitted if I applied today...and that's a good thing.  My degree will say University of South Florida no matter how high the entrance standards get.

[usfvictor]

it was my first choice, but then again i wanted to stay in tampa with my family as opposed to moving to gville or tally (my other two choices). i graduated high school in 2006 with 4.7 GPA (weighted, 3.5 unweighted) 1160 SAT. it's gonna be plenty hard to get in in 5 years if u dont have 3.5+ GPA/1200 SAT score. i'm all for it

[Gismo]

Does anybody know what the requirements currently are for the Honors College?

In got into the Honors college in 2007 with a 1270 SAT score, but I'm sure it has too be higher now, I heard it was raised to 1300 the next year but don't know for certain... anyway, I thought the Honors College was worth while so I'm glad I made the cut.

USF is really making strides and I saw a lot of changes between 2007 - 2011.

Does anybody know why the incoming class profile such a large part of the US News rankings? What does it matter if a freshman scored 1600 or 1000 on the SATs... it doesn't have any influence on the quality of their professors or resources the university will be offering them while they are there. Is it just some sort of popularity measure of where the "smart kids" want to go? I don't see how that actually influences the education provided.

[Oldsmobull]

USF Honors College Admission Requirements:  http://honors.usf.edu/Adm_req.html

I always wondered how the test scores of new entering freshmen measured the quality of the college for reports like U.S. News'.  The kids did their learning that contributed to their test scores elsewhere before entering the college!

[charsibb]

It shows how exclusive we are, not by who gets in, but by who we are able to exclude.

[crambone]

The only other public Florida school I applied to was FSU and I was accepted there.  I decided to go to USF because I could not afford to live on campus in Tally and I did not get enough financial aid to supplement.  The first 2 years I attended USF I lived at my parents' house in Lakeland.  I ended up moving out to Tampa for my last 2 years after I got a decent job working nights.

[snarling Bull]

They are still very selective. My son graduated with a 4.1 GPA and 1400 SAT and 12 college credits and is at St. Pete Campus- wanted Tampa. His letter said,"While you have an excellent academic record it is unlikely that you will be accepted for the summer or fall. term because of the many qualified applicants from all over the country.. When he changed campus to St. Pete, he was accepted in less than 1 day..

[BullFan98]

They are still very selective. My son graduated with a 4.1 GPA and 1400 SAT and 12 college credits and is at St. Pete Campus- wanted Tampa. His letter said,"While you have an excellent academic record it is unlikely that you will be accepted for the summer or fall. term because of the many qualified applicants from all over the country.. When he changed campus to St. Pete, he was accepted in less than 1 day..

That is crazy, especially with those academic scores.