National Merit Scholar rankings place KU in top 10 for fourth year in a row

LAWRENCE -- For the fourth consecutive year, the University of Kansas is among the top 10 public universities in enrolling new National Merit scholars, just-released rankings show.

KU enrolled 100 National Merit scholars this year, more than all other public universities in Kansas and Missouri combined. KU ranks 8th in the nation among all public universities, in a tie with Georgia Tech. It is the fifth time in the past six years that KU has ranked among the top 10 public universities.

"KU continues to attract outstanding students from throughout Kansas and across the country," said Chancellor Robert Hemenway. "Kansans should be proud of this high ranking, which reflects the quality of our programs and our growing national reputation."

Hemenway noted that starting with the freshman class of 2003, KU will increase its scholarship focus on recruiting and enrolling Kansas' brightest and most talented high school seniors. The university will aggressively recruit all well-prepared students, he said. Nonresident National Merit, National Achievement and National Hispanic scholars won't automatically receive full scholarships but will be carefully evaluated through the regular scholarship award process.

The National Merit scholarship is widely regarded as the most prestigious national award bestowed upon graduating high school seniors. Of the 1.2 million students who compete for the award, fewer than 10,000 receive National Merit scholarships. Recipients are chosen based on their academic abilities and records as well as extracurricular activities.

Other schools in the top 10 are: the University of Texas with 266 new National Merit scholars; the University of Florida, 186; the University of Oklahoma, 162; Texas A&M University, 156; the University of North Carolina, 143; Ohio State University, 110; Arizona State University, 103; KU and Georgia Tech with 100 each; and UCLA with 92.

KU's record of success is all the more noteworthy considering the size of the candidate pool from Kansas. The state ranked 32nd in the nation in producing National Merit semifinalists, with 169 in 2002. California and Texas were the two largest states, producing 1,249 and 1,620 National Merit finalists, respectively.