KU ranked in top 10 in enrolling new National Merit Scholars

Kansas University ranks eighth in the country — tied with Georgia Tech — among public universities enrolling new National Merit Scholars, according to new rankings.

KU enrolled 100 National Merit scholars this year, putting it in the top 10 among public universities for the fourth year in a row. The 100 scholars are more than all other public universities in Kansas and Missouri combined.

Big 12 schools that ranked ahead of Kansas were the University of Texas (first with 266), the University of Oklahoma (third with 162) and Texas A & M (fourth with 162).

This is the fifth time in the last six years that KU made the top 10 list.

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

The chancellor said that starting with the freshman class of 2003, KU plans to increase its scholarship focus to recruit and enroll Kansas’ brightest and most talented high school seniors.

The National Merit scholarship is considered the most prestigious national academic award that a graduating high school senior can receive.

Fewer than 10,000 of the 1.2 million who compete receive National Merit scholarships. Recipients are chosen based on their academic abilities, records and extracurricular activities.

The following is the top 10: 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.