Academic Qualifications Of UI Freshmen Go Up

The number of University of Idaho freshmen who report they earned an A average in high school has jumped 15 percent.

That corresponds with a record number of valedictorians choosing the Moscow school this year.

In an annual survey conducted at higher education institutions nationwide, 58 percent of UI freshmen who enrolled last fall said they had graduated from high school with an A average. That compares with 43 percent the year before.

Seventy-four percent of the class of 1999 said the University of Idaho was their first choice of colleges to attend. The most frequent reasons were the school’s size, low tuition and academic reputation and the ability of graduates to get good jobs.

The information was gathered in a review by the Cooperative Institution Research Program at UCLA.

Interim Provost George Simmons said 97 percent of UI freshmen stated they have used a computer to complete writing assignments.”That sort of information tells the faculty our students are arriving prepared and accustomed to using the technology of the day,” Simmons said.

About 84 percent of the freshmen said they would live on campus and a large majority are receiving some sort of financial aid to help cover the costs of education.