For the second year in a row, applications for admission to the University of Connecticut have increased substantially.

This year there were 12,424 freshman applications to UConn, an 11.8 percent increase, or 1,308 more when compared to 1998; and 1,918 more students than 1997, or an 18 percent increase.

This year 7,176 in-state students applied, 322 more than 1988 and 729 more than 1997. The number of out-of-state applications numbered 5,248, a 986 increase over last year and 1,189 more than 1997.

May 1 was the deadline for students to pay deposits. A tally of the number of prospective students who sent in deposits to secure a place in the Class of 2003 is not yet complete, but it is already more than 3,100 for all campuses. That number is 32 percent above last year's number of 2,345 prospective enrollees at this time, and 51 percent above the 2,047 students who paid deposits in 1997 by this time.

Despite the increase in student commitments to UConn, admissions officials expect this fall's freshmen class at Storrs will be approximately 2,750. Dolan Evanovich, associate provost for enrollment management notes there is always an attrition of the numbers over the summer, as some students decide to attend other colleges or universities that have offered them admission.

Susan Steele, vice provost for undergraduate education and instruction, has said that there is sufficient demand for greater growth this year, but the University has decided to limit growth to ensure adequate services for students, including class availability and residence hall space. The Board of Trustees has been discussing a goal to have a freshman class of 3,100 at Storrs by the year 2003.

Not only are the numbers of students who have placed deposits larger, the students coming to UConn are also more diverse. System-wide, the university has received 2,207 minority applications for this fall so far, a 19 percent increase over the 1,845 applications received in 1998, and a 29 percent jump over the 1,717 minority students who applied in 1997 at this time. Similarly, minority applications to the Storrs campus as of this date increased by 388 over the 1,633 received last year, an increase of 24 percent.

The academic caliber of this fall's freshman class is also increasing. The snapshot provided by those who have sent in their deposits to Storrs shows the mean score on the Scholastic Assessment Tests entrance exam is up 17 points from the mean SAT for last year's freshmen and 20 points from 1997 at the same time of year.

As a result of the increased academic quality of the incoming freshman, UConn is increasing the number of scholarships awarded to outstanding scholars who enroll.

David Bauman