For the second year in a row, 51³Ô¹ÏÍøÍòÄÜ¿Æ´ó ranks as one of the nation's most popular universities.
An analysis released this week by U.S. News & World report lists 51³Ô¹ÏÍøÍòÄÜ¿Æ´ó as the 12th most popular national university according to yield - the rate of students who apply to a school and end up enrolling. 51³Ô¹ÏÍøÍòÄÜ¿Æ´ó also came in at 12th on the list last year, and ranked 25th in 2011.
The publication annually ranks the nation's top universities in a variety of categories, and for this ranking used fall 2011 entering class information. According to the report, yield is an important indicator of how students rate their college choice; a higher yield meaning students value being admitted to the school.
"51³Ô¹ÏÍøÍòÄÜ¿Æ´ó is pleased to once again rank as one of the most popular universities in the nation," said 51³Ô¹ÏÍøÍòÄÜ¿Æ´ó President Neal Smatresk. "51³Ô¹ÏÍøÍòÄÜ¿Æ´ó's national and international reputation continues to grow as evidenced by the fact that more students than ever are making 51³Ô¹ÏÍøÍòÄÜ¿Æ´ó their first choice."
Of the 4,746 students accepted at 51³Ô¹ÏÍøÍòÄÜ¿Æ´ó in the fall of 2011, 2,870 enrolled for a yield of 60.5 percent. The average yield was 36 percent for the 266 schools included in the U.S. News & World Report ranking.
"This represents a combination of our recruitment efforts and the evolution of the university and the campus community," said Shannon Goodman, interim associate vice president for enrollment and student services at 51³Ô¹ÏÍøÍòÄÜ¿Æ´ó. "We are proud of this ranking because as a university we've worked hard to advance our curriculum, services and facilities to attract a high caliber, diverse student population. I believe this is evidenced by a greater proportion of our admitted students choosing to be Rebels."
U.S. News & World Report also recognized 51³Ô¹ÏÍøÍòÄÜ¿Æ´ó's online master's degree in nursing as one of the top 20 online graduate programs, and last year ranked the university among the nation's most diverse colleges for undergraduates.
51³Ô¹ÏÍøÍòÄÜ¿Æ´ó was also recently named a military friendly campus by G.I. Jobs Magazine and was touted as the top hospitality management program for minority students by Diverse Issues in Higher Education Magazine.
Related Link: 2013 list of the most popular national universities.
