Photo by:

More than 12,000 students applied for admission to be a part of DU’s incoming freshmen class, beginning the fall quarter, the largest applicant pool the university has ever received.

To date, applications have increased by 1,500 a 14.37 percent increase, compared to last year.

“Every year it definitely becomes more challenging for student to be admitted to DU,” said Todd Rinehart, assistant vice chancllor of enrollment and director of admissions. “The standards have changed over the last five to 10 years.”

Of the applicants, Rinehart said just over half have been accepted and the university expects to enroll 1,200 students, the same size as the class of 2013, making it more difficult to get in.

In the last four years, applicant pools have more than doubled. In March 2006, there were 5,700 applicants for the class of 2010, and in 2008, there were 8,000 applicants for the class of 2012.

“It’s interesting to see the demand for DU and how it has increased,” Rinehart said. “I think there are many great things that are happening on campus and the positive word of mouth has added to the increased application pool we have been receiving.”

Not only has the number of applicants grown, but also the caliber of students, Rinehart said, has improved dramatically.

Admitted students for the class of 2014 have on average a high school GPA of 3.71, an ACT score of 27.6 and on the SATs, scored 1227 on the 1600-point scale.

In 2006, admitted students for the class of 2010 had on average a high school GPA of 3.63, an ACT score of 26.2 and an SAT score of 1201 on a 1600-point scale.

Such an increase in applicants has allowed DU to be more selective, reach more academic goals and increase diversity, Rinehart said. More international students and students in states outside Colorado applied. Rinehart also said it allows for a better variety and distribution of majors.

“By growing the applicant pool we’re able to diversity and enhance the student body,” he said. “Going from 10,000 to 12,000 it allows us to choose a really special group of students for the incoming class.”

Rinehart said the Office of Admissions does not expect the 2.98 percent increase in undergraduate tuition to effect admissions much. In comparison to DU’s competitors, Rinehart said, the increase is one of the lowest.

“We’ve been watching really closes to percentage increases across the country,” he said. “Our percentage increase is the lowest we’ve seen for new tuition increases this year.”