UC Again Lands on Prestigious National List

For the second year in a row, the University of Cincinnati is listed among the nation’s most-ranked universities in attracting the nation’s most academically talented students. The list reported in this week’s Chronicle of Higher Education details only 98 institutions of higher education to report 20 or more freshman National Merit Scholars.

The National Merit Scholarship Program reported that UC enrolled 27 first-year Merit Scholars in 2007, placing UC as 75th on the inventory of institutions reporting 20 or more National Merit Scholars. UC gained two additional scholars after that number was first reported to the National Merit Scholarship program, raising the freshman total to 29 and the total number of UC Merit Scholars to 117. UC first cracked the list last year after the 2006 freshman class brought in 39 National Merit Scholars, more than double the number that entered UC in 2005.

As part of UC|21 strategic plan efforts to raise the bar for student success, the UC|21 Scholarship was announced in 2005 to attract finalists in the National Merit and National Achievement Scholarship programs. A value of more than $60,000 over four years, the scholarship provides funding for in-state tuition, fees, residence hall housing and a one-time allocation of $1,500 to apply toward the purchase of a computer, undergraduate research or a study abroad experience.

Selection of finalists for these programs begins in September of each year with the naming of semifinalists – students scoring in the top one percent on the preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT). Semifinalists are required to submit additional materials for review with finalists named in February. 

UC’s 2007 freshman class held the highest average ACT score of any incoming freshman class (24.2) and was awarded the highest number ever of Cincinnatus Scholarships (1,247) to academically qualified freshmen.

The Chronicle of Higher Education reports that 8,262 freshman Merit Scholars were enrolled in fall of 2007 – with 4,945 students enrolled at 226 private colleges and 3,317 at 136 public institutions. Harvard reported the most freshman Merit Scholars, 285, in 2007.