The class of 2023's GPAs and test scores not only broke records but also set a new standard for future applicants.
In terms of race for the admitted class of 2023, Asian students make up 9 percent, Hispanic students make up 19 percent, American-Indian students make up less than 1 percent, multiracial students make up 4 percent, white students make up 50 percent and African American or black students make up 7 percent, wrote UF Spokesperson Steve Orlando in an email.
About 500 students didn’t report their race, Orlando said.
After multiple requests, The Alligator was not able to get demographic data to compare to the class of 2022.
UF enrollment data states that UF is about 50 percent white and 14 percent Hispanic. Black and Asian students are both 7 percent.
UF is not allowed to consider race or ethnicity in admissions, Orlando said.
“What you see in the demographic breakdown is a reflection of the holistic approach that we use,” Orlando said.
Admissions staff consider more than just test scores, Orlando said. They look at things such as extracurricular activities and the application essay.
Fabine Michel, a 20-year-old UF theatre sophomore who is black, said she wishes more people at UF looked like her.
“Since we’re in 2019, there shouldn’t be an issue with the lack of diversity at UF,” she said.
UF admitted 9,100 females and 5,817 males, Orlando said.
Slightly more than 2,000 who were admitted are from single-parent families, about 2,000 are low-income applicants and more than 4,000 are minorities, Orlando said.
The number of admitted students who were in the top five percent of their classes was just over 1,700. The number of admitted legacy students, which is students with family members who went to UF, was about 3,000.
It’s evident to anyone who walks on campus that UF is a predominantly white institution, said Catherine Dos Santos Alves, a 21-year-old UF international studies and women’s studies junior.
She said the state should create and improve minority student programs, make sure minority students have equal resources and let them know that college is a viable option, as the number of minority students outside of the Hispanic community seemed low.
“I do not think [the class of 2023] strays very far from the current UF population, which is definitely saddening,” Dos Santos Alves said.
