AUSTIN, Texas — Enrollment at The University of Texas at Austin is 48,917 this fall, a total that indicates the University may retain its ranking as the largest single-campus institution in the country. The total includes 37,211 undergraduate, 10,330 graduate and 1,376 law students, and represents a slight increase over last fall’s total of 48,857.
The entering fall 1998 freshman class is almost 10-percent smaller than the 1997 class. The decrease in freshmen was the result of a conscious effort in accordance with UT’s enrollment management plan, and hit the desired target almost exactly.University administrators say they are pleased with the composition of the entering freshman class, which shows modest increases in the percentage of African American, Hispanic and Asian American students compared to the fall 1997 class. The percent distribution of the fall class is: White, 65.4 percent (67.1 percent in fall 1997); American Indian, 0.5 percent (0.5 percent); African American, 2.8 percent (2.5 percent); Asian American, 17.2 percent (16.2 percent); Hispanic, 12.7 percent (12.1 percent); foreign, 1.3 percent (1.6 percent), and unknown, 0.1percent (0 percent). As is the case across the nation, the University experienced an increase in the number of students who chose not to indicate their ethnicity.
"The top 10 percent admissions law has allowed the University to focus our recruitment activities, and to attract a highly qualified, diverse freshman class," according to Bruce Walker, associate vice president and director of Admissions. "It was gratifying to see the increase in the percentage of African Americans and Hispanics who were top 10 percent students."
The number of new freshmen this fall who were in the top 10 percent of their high school graduating class is 45.4 percent. This total is comparable to the historical percentage of top 10 percent students in the entering freshman class, but is an improvement over the 1997 results. The 1997 percentage was lower due to the unusually large class enrolled. The percent of students in the top 10 percent by ethnicity is: White, 43.0 percent (44.5 percent in fall 1996, 36.7 percent in fall 1997); American Indian, 28.1 percent (37.0 percent, 27.3 percent); African American, 38.2 percent (33.3 percent, 30.7 percent); Asian American, 52.8 percent (53.7 percent, 49.5 percent); Hispanic, 53.8
