UF held the class of 2023 to higher standards.
The university recieved a record amount of applications at more than 41,000, which resulted in a more competitive class. The test scores and GPA of students admitted into the new class proved to be higher than previous years.
The more than 14,000 students who were admitted for Summer B and Fall had an average GPA of 4.45, average SAT score of 1388 and average ACT score of 31, UF spokesperson Steve Orlando said.
Last year, the admitted class of about a similar size had an average GPA of 4.4, SAT score of 1364 and an ACT score of 30.
For Summer B, UF admitted about 3,000 applicants, and about 11,000 for Fall, Orlando said.
The Innovation Academy, which holds class in the Spring to let students pursue outside opportunities in the Fall, admitted about 500 for Spring 2020, compared to about 650 last year, he said.
The Pathway to Campus Enrollment, also known as PaCE, which requires students to start their UF degree online and transition to campus after completing 60 credit hours, admitted about 3,100 students this year, an increase from about 2,200 last year.
The difference is where students were admitted, with fewer applicants admitted to the main campus and more admitted to the Innovation Academy and PaCE, Orlando said. UF admitted more students for these remote programs to account for the higher number of students it accepted traditionally on campus last year.
UF expects about 6,550 students to enroll for Summer B and Fall, 250 for Innovation Academy and 750 for PaCE, he said.
“UF is committed to increasing access while ensuring that all students have an excellent educational experience,” Orlando said.
Elisabell Velazquez, 18, said she worked hard at Armwood High School in Tampa to achieve her dream of attending UF. She maintained a minimum 4.5 GPA, earned a 29 on her ACT and received 1290 on her SAT.
Velazquez is also active in her high school as the senior class president, National Honor Society vice president and Key Club treasurer, among other academic extracurriculars. She also plays varsity tennis and participates in mentoring programs outside of school.
“I have always wanted to go to UF since I was little,” she said. “I have worked hard throughout all of my years in high school to keep my grades up.”
Velazquez, who is Cuban American, attended UF’s 2018 Summer Media Institute, where she said she fell even more in love with UF after staying in the dorms and meeting UF professors. She plans to study journalism with an interest in broadcast news.
“I will never forget the day I was accepted to UF, it is still surreal to me,” she said. “I cannot wait to begin my journey at the University of Florida and be part of the Gator Nation.”
Elisabell Velazquez, 18, sits in a UF-decorated room. At 5:20 p.m., she and her brother pressed the button to open her admission letter. “I will never forget the day I was accepted to UF,” she said.
