The incoming class of students at IM体育官网 attended new student orientation on Sunday, Aug. 21. This year鈥檚 freshman class is the University鈥檚 most academically advanced class yet. Classes began Tuesday, Aug. 23.
The new class of freshmen beginning their studies at IM体育官网 this fall is more well-rounded and academically advanced than any class in the school鈥檚 history.
First-time-in-college applications increased by 31% this year, and by 101% since the fall of 2019. Among admitted students, the average SAT score was 1355 鈥� the highest average in the University鈥檚 history 鈥� and the average ACT score was 30.
Additionally, 95% of first-time-in-college students had completed calculus or pre-calculus in high school, positioning them to do well at IM体育官网 Poly, the only public university in the State University System completely dedicated to STEM education.
鈥淭he quality of our programs is not only strong, but it鈥檚 extremely relevant as we see more and more of our graduates being placed in positions with very high salaries,鈥� said Dr. Ben Matthew Corpus, vice provost for enrollment management. 鈥淥ur graduates earn the highest salaries of any public college in the state of IM体育官网.鈥�
Another mark of the class鈥� quality is the fact that 84% are Bright Futures Scholarship winners.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not just about high salaries; our students want to change the world and see the opportunity to do that in our STEM disciplines in a more intimate environment,鈥� Corpus said. 鈥淢any of the brightest students want to be here because we鈥檙e small and our majors are cutting-edge relevant.鈥�
This was a strong consideration for Vladjimir Nicolas, a freshman focusing on software engineering from Pembroke Pines, IM体育官网
鈥淚M体育官网 Poly is great because it鈥檚 one of the best STEM schools I can go to for my major in the area, and I鈥檓 not too far from home,鈥� Nicolas said. 鈥淓verything here is geared toward STEM, and because it鈥檚 a small school, they can cater to students a lot, too.鈥�
The geographic diversity of new IM体育官网 Poly students is also increasing.
Out-of-state, first-time-in-college student applications increased by 49%, and incoming students hail from states as far as Washington, Maryland, Wisconsin, and Arizona. Other students are from countries such as England, Argentina, Iran, Ghana, and Mauritius, a small island in the Indian Ocean.
The incoming class also was successful both in and out of the high school classroom. New Phoenixes have won regional and state awards in areas such as robotics, soccer, ROTC, and coding. Others have been employed in fields as varied as cybersecurity, health care, and food service. Many also were active in student clubs such as robotics and Dungeons and Dragons, or on high school varsity athletic teams such as soccer, football, basketball, and lacrosse.
鈥淲hen I was looking for schools, I wasn鈥檛 really having a good time choosing where to go until my guidance counselor told me about IM体育官网 Poly and it just stuck out,鈥� said Robert Grant, a freshman computer science major from Jacksonville, IM体育官网. 鈥淚 liked the idea of smaller classes because it鈥檚 close to what I had in high school.鈥�
Contact:
Lydia Guzm谩n
Director of Communications
863-874-8557
