"My cousin was the med student, and he didn't attend ACU. But when I asked him where the best med students attended college, he said students from ACU just seemed to be better students overall, and they had already had many of the classes like histology, immunology and biochemistry," Lowe said.
Lowe scored 34 of 36 on the ACT college entrance exam, placing him in the top 1 percent of test takers, and he wanted to find a challenging pre-med program that would give him an advantage for acceptance into the best medical schools. He began classes at ACU in late August and qualifies for the university’s distinctive Body and Soul honors track of the pre-med program.
More than 1,030 new undergraduate students – many with stories similar to Lowe's – began at ACU this fall from across the United States and many other nations, said Dr. Royce Money, ACU president.
"ACU's reputation as a high quality, Christian university attracts students from around the world," Money said. "We offer top programs in areas such as pre-med, business, journalism and education that draw many students beyond Texas and outside the U.S."
The university’s total fall enrollment is 4,698, representing one of the five best enrollments in ACU's 102-year history, Money said. All five top enrollments have occurred in the past seven years. The student body at ACU represents 49 states and territories and 63 nations.
Enrollment in the Graduate School hit a record total of 679 this fall, including 565 residential graduate students and 114 ACU WorldWide online students. This is an increase of 48 compared to last year, said Dr. Carol Williams, dean of the Graduate School and associate provost for distance education and service. Graduate enrollment has grown 19 percent since 2004, from 554 to 679, thanks in large part to ACU's new online programs.
Money said the freshman class is academically strong, diverse and global. About a fourth of ACU's new freshmen earned an entering test score that qualifies them for the Honors Program (ACT of 27-plus), and the class' ACT average is nearly 24 – a score that places students in the top quarter of test takers in the nation. The freshman class includes 40 National Merit and Presidential Scholars.
One out of four new freshman students at ACU this fall is an ethnic minority student from the United States or an international student – the highest percentage in ACU's history, Money said. An entering class with that level of diversity is rare among private universities, he explained.
Among the U.S. multicultural population in ACU's freshman class, both the percentage of students and the total number of students increased, with the highest growth among Hispanic students.
This fall, ACU welcomed 65 new international students to its undergraduate, graduate and English as a Second Language program – an increase of 14 from last year and ACU's second highest year ever. The total international student enrollment also increased from 215 in fall 2006 to 225 this fall. Japan, Madagascar, China and Nigeria have the largest representation on campus, said Steven Gist, international recruiter.
"Our vision is to bring the world to ACU and to take ACU to the world," Money said. "Our diverse class and strong international enrollment bring tremendous blessings to our campus as we prepare students to live and work in a global marketplace."
In 2006-07, ACU graduated 939 students at the undergraduate and graduate level.
"We care about enrolling new students every year, but we also care deeply that they graduate and go on to make a positive difference in the world," Money said. "Last year, we sent more than 1,000 Christian leaders out into the world with an ACU education. That is how we fulfill our mission. That's the heart of what we do here."
ACU's mission is to educate students for Christian service and leadership throughout the world. The university's new 21st Century Vision states that by 2020, ACU will be the premier university for the education of Christ-centered, global leaders. The university, founded in 1906, has launched a powerful alumni network of more than 86,000 former students who live in every state and more than 100 nations.
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