UpDate - Vol. 16, No. 1, Page 1
September 5, 1996
Class of 2000 arrives with own diverse characteristics

     The Class of 2000, the last of this century, is breaking records
as the most ethnically diverse class in the history of the University.
     "The entire campus has worked hard to create an inclusive
environment for all students, and this environment is attracting
record numbers of minority students," said Bruce Walker, associate
provost for admissions and financial aid.
     Of the 3,377 freshmen and 627 transfer students, 525 (13 percent)
are African Americans, Asians, Hispanics or Native Americans, an
increase of 11 percent over last year. Of these incoming students, 241
(6 percent) are African Americans, an increase of 26 percent over
1995; and 98 (2.5 percent) are Hispanic, an increase of 17 percent
over last year, with the number of Asian and Native American students
remaining about the same.
     The UD's overall applicant pool of 14,151 students was the
largest in this decade, and the Class of 2000, with 3,337 students
(compared to 3,222 in 1995) is the largest freshman class since 1988.
     While 10,000 students were offered admission this year, the same
number as last year, the increased number who accepted admission
accounts for the large class, Walker said.
     "The increased yield rate means that the University of Delaware
is moving up to the first choice institution for more of our
applicants. This is a very good sign in the highly competitive market
for the students in the mid-Atlantic and East Coast regions," he said.
     The Class of 2000 also surpasses former classes in terms of
academic promise, according to Walker. There are 114 National Merit,
Achievement and Hispanic Scholars finalists, semifinalists and
commended students. There are 73 valedictorians and salutatorians, and
164 students have 4.0 high school grade point averages, the highest in
five years. The average SAT scores of freshmen are 1131, the same as
last year and well above the national average of 1000.
     The University Honors Program will enroll 378 students with
average SAT scores of 1330 and a high school grade point average of
3.77. Some 89 percent of these students had a grade point average of
3.5 or above.
     "When looking at the important measures of academic success used
in the admissions process, the Class of 2000 is predicted to
outperform every freshman class in recent history," Walker said.
     The class also has the highest percent (49) of students
interested in community volunteer work and service, with a slightly
lower percentage interested in tutoring fellow students.
     Outside activities included volunteer work or service (49
percent), working on the school newspaper or yearbook (26 percent),
music (20 percent) and drama (14 percent). The class seems less
interested in joining clubs than past classes (71 percent versus 75
percent) and less interested in student government (21 percent versus
22 percent).
     While the students come from all over the United States-from
Maine to California, from Florida to Texas- most are from the East
Coast. A larger number of freshmen are from Delaware: 1,108 compared
to 1,071 in 1995 (33 percent). New Jersey ranks second with 723 (21
percent); Pennsylvania ranks third with 609 (18 percent); New York
ranks fourth with 424 (13 percent); and Maryland ranks fifth with 252
(8 percent. There are 103 freshmen from Connecticut, 34 from Virginia
and 32 from Massachusetts.
     There are 35 new international students coming to Delaware from
22 foreign countries, including Brazil, China, Croatia, Denmark,
France, Germany, India, Italy, Korea, Morocco, Nigeria, Japan, Taiwan
and the United Kingdom.
     The top 10 high schools of the Class of 2000 are all in New
Castle County and include St. Mark's (96), Glasgow (69), Newark (65),
Christiana (62), William Penn (56), Salesianum (52), Concord (52),
Brandywine (52), Mount Pleasant (50) and Dickinson (49).
     For the fourth year in a row, more students answer to Michael
(91) or Jennifer (105) than any other first name, although Melissa and
Matthew are gaining in popularity. There are 561 freshmen who have
first names they share with no others in the class-for example, one
Abraham and one Zoe.
     The most common last name is Smith (16) followed by Miller (15),
Thompson (13), Johnson (13), Wilson (10) and Cohen (9).
     There are 20 sets of twins among the incoming students, plus one
set of triplets (two boys and a girl).
     The oldest new student is a transfer student, aged 72. The oldest
freshman is 48, and the youngest will turn 16 the first day of
classes. Every freshman will share a birthday with a classmate-Feb. 6
and 20 and April 17 mark birthdays for 18 freshmen, with Jan. 12 and
14, Feb. 16, June 6 and 17, and Nov. 30 birthdays for two freshmen.
     Statistics about the incoming students are subject to slight
change as the academic years gets under way. Official enrollment
figures will be available in October, Walker said.
                                                   -Sue Swyers Moncure