 The university consistently ranks among the top ten public universities each year in enrollment of National Merit scholars . According to the College Board , the fall 2008 entering freshman class consisted of 54 % students in the top 10 % of their high school graduating class , 86 % in the top quarter , and 99 % in the top half . Seventy @-@ four percent of these students took the SAT . The middle 50 % of the freshmen had average scores as follows : in critical reading , 520 – 630 , math , 560 – 670 , and in writing 500 – 610 . Twenty @-@ six percent of the incoming freshmen took the ACT , with the middle 50 % scoring between a 23 and 29 . About 80 percent of the student body receives about $ 420 million in financial aid annually . The admission rate for students who applied as undergraduates in 2012 was 67 % . The school is rated as " selective " by US News & World Report . 
