ANN ARBOR—The University of Michigan Ann Arbor campus set a new enrollment record for fall 2007 with 41,042 students, 1,017 more students than last year, a 2.5 percent increase, according to the U-M Office of the Registrar. The number of graduate/professional students increased by 3.4 percent. Undergraduates increased by 2.1 percent.

The total includes a freshman class of 5,992 students, an 11 percent increase over last year. Overall, freshman applications for 2007 were up 6.5 percent to 27,474. Admissions were up 12.9 percent, and the yield rate?the percentage of admitted students who ultimately enrolled?was 46.4 percent, an increase of 0.5 percent over the previous year.

“This year, as in the past, the students who apply to the University continue to be remarkable for their academic preparation, their life experiences, and demonstrated leadership and talent,? said President Mary Sue Coleman. ?We have assembled an outstanding and diverse class that we are confident will contribute significantly to our academic community.”

The incoming freshman class, one of the largest on record, is almost evenly divided between men and women. Approximately 1,890 high schools, all 50 states and 55 countries are represented. Increased applications meant that the selection process was one of the most competitive ever.

The Office of Undergraduate Admissions reports that this year’s freshmen are a well-rounded class committed to academic excellence and civic responsibility. While in high school, 28 percent were elected to one or more student government offices and nearly 25 percent of the class received all-city, all-league, all-county or all-state awards in athletics. Sixty two percent of the class participated in civic projects with 30 percent receiving an award for community service. In addition, one in 10 freshmen started their own business while still in high school.

Thirteen freshmen attained a total perfect score of 1600 on the SAT and 329 U-M freshmen achieved a perfect score of 36 on one or more sections of the ACT. The average high school GPA for the entering class is 3.8. Approximately 1,400 members achieved a perfect 4.0. More than 92 percent of freshmen ranked in the top 10 percent of their high school graduating class. Well over 50 percent of the class enters U-M with college credit from Advanced Placement tests.

“This is an amazing incoming class, who are clearly prepared to excel at the University of Michigan,” said Zack Yost, president of the Michigan Student Assembly, U-M?s student government. “I look forward to meeting them, helping them learn the ropes here, and to learning from them too.”

The 2006-2007 admissions cycle was conducted in two distinct components in accordance with adoption of Proposal 2 by Michigan voters in November 2006. The amendment to Michigan’s Constitution bans public institutions from discriminating against or giving preferential treatment to groups or individuals based on their race, gender, ethnicity or national origin.

During the first component, which ended in late December, U-M considered the race, gender, national origin and ethnicity of applicants as part of a holistic review process. In compliance with Proposal 2, U-M discontinued consideration of these factors within the holistic review process during the remainder of the admissions season that began on Jan. 10.

“At other universities with similar ballot proposals across the country, underrepresented minority student enrollment has dropped significantly,” said Senior Vice Provost Lester Monts. “We have worked hard to inform prospective students about U-M’s ongoing commitment to diversity and will continue to reach out to as many students as possible to ensure the most highly qualified and diverse applicant pool.”

Academic excellence is the first order of business at U-M, and the quality of the University?s academic programs is enhanced by the rich and varied contributions of its diverse community of students and faculty. Many top scholars are attracted to Michigan because they can study and conduct research with others who challenge their ways of looking at the world. U-M has become one of the top public universities in the world because it is diverse?and measures such as graduation rates, scholarly production, rankings of our academic programs and the number of applications for admission are evidence of this success.

Several procedures were implemented to encourage a diverse incoming class, including implementation of the College Board?s geodemographic tool, Descriptor PLUS, and expedited admissions and financial aid processes. Continuing its ongoing commitment to make a U-M education affordable for all admitted state residents, significant University funds have been made available in the continuing M-PACT grant program and the new Michigan Tradition and Michigan Experience awards.

Coleman, U-M faculty, students, staff, administrators and alumni engaged in unprecedented levels of personal outreach to invite students to apply and, when admitted, to enroll.

The University is focusing on improving the pipeline of students interested in applying to U-M by engaging students at earlier ages. U-M’s new Center for Educational Outreach and Academic Success will help support this effort by supporting partnerships between the University and K-12 schools and community-based educational organizations.

The number of underrepresented minority students in the freshman class was approximately the same as last year, but when calculated as part of the larger incoming class size, the percentage of underrepresented minority freshmen declined from 12.7 percent to 11.4 percent.

The 2007 freshman class includes 334 (5.8 percent) African American students, a 1.2 percent increase over last year. Hispanic Americans represent 4.7 percent of the class, or 267 students. This is a decline of 2.6 percent from last year. Fifty Native Americans (0.9 percent) entered the University this year as freshmen, a drop of two from last year. The number of Asian American students increased by 135 to 757, or 13.2 percent of the freshman class. Freshmen identifying as white made up 65.2 percent or 3,741 of the total class, an increase of 333 from last year. Non-resident aliens accounted for 251 freshmen.

Overall, throughout the entire student body, the number of African American students declined by 3.3 percent, the number of Hispanic Americans increased 1 percent, the number of white students increased by 2.1 percent, the number of Native American students declined by 1.2 percent and the number of Asian American students increased by 0.4 percent.

“We are cautiously optimistic about our ability to maintain diversity in our student community,” said Theodore Spencer, associate vice provost and director of undergraduate admissions. “However, the full impact of Proposal 2 is not reflected in the current year’s enrollment numbers because it took effect mid-way through the admissions cycle,? Spencer said. “We’ll have a more accurate indication of its potential impact in fall 2008.”