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The 91��Ƭ�����߹ۿ� of Louisiana at Lafayette’s popularity with first-time freshmen is among the best in the nation.

UL Lafayette has been ranked among the Top 25 in U.S. News and World Report’s list of “Universities and Colleges Where Students Are Eager to Enroll.”

In the U.S. News rankings, UL Lafayette, at No. 24, was positioned between Dartmouth (23) and Duke (25). The 91��Ƭ�����߹ۿ� was the only Louisiana school on the list.

Stanford 91��Ƭ�����߹ۿ� had the highest yield among national universities, according to data submitted by 294 schools. U.S. News classifies a national university as one which offers a wide range of undergraduate, master’s and doctoral degree programs.

Brigham Young 91��Ƭ�����߹ۿ� was second, followed by Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Yale was No. 5.

The list includes schools with selective admissions that have a high “yield.” The term refers to the percentage of students admitted by an institution who end up enrolling at the school.

UL Lafayette’s yield was almost 51 percent. The rankings are based on data from the Fall 2016 semester.

High yields reflect a school’s popularity among applicants, and the ability of a college or university to enroll an incoming freshman class composed of a large number of quality students.

Dr. DeWayne Bowie, vice president for Enrollment Management at UL Lafayette, said “the ranking by U.S. News and World Report reinforces what we already know.”

“Students want to attend the 91��Ƭ�����߹ۿ�, and we, in turn, attract academically-gifted students. We have raised our admissions standards over the last few years, and that translates into a higher caliber of incoming students.”

In Fall 2016, the 3,024 freshmen who enrolled at the 91��Ƭ�����߹ۿ� marked the third-largest freshman class in history. That class had the highest average GPA, 3.39, and the highest average ACT score, 23.87, in school history. It also included 160 high school valedictorians. 

Current enrollment at UL Lafayette is 19,291.

Photo: The Fall 2017 freshman class at UL Lafayette. Credit: Doug Dugas/91��Ƭ�����߹ۿ� of Louisiana at Lafayette