Acceptance letters from the University began appearing in 4,724 mailboxes this week, but for the first time, more than half of the accepted students found out Wednesday through a password-protected Web site, Dean of Admissions John Blackburn said.
The original 15,000 applications revealed an increased number of black and Hispanic applicants, Blackburn said.
Students offered admission held more competitive academic credentials than in past years, he added.
The number of applicants who applied online increased from 48 percent last year to 65 percent this year.
Blackburn said he anticipates all students will apply online in coming years.
"Next year we are going to expect students to apply online because it simplifies the kind of data entry that has to been done here," Blackburn said. "We expect to see almost all applicants online next year."
Blackburn said the Office of Admissions is sensitive to the fact that not all students have immediate access to computers.
"We are very concerned about that," Blackburn said. "Certainly we will make paper forms available. On the other hand, every high school has computers and access to the Web."
According to Blackburn, students offered admission this year have higher SAT scores, GPAs and class rankings.
"It is inching upwards and has been for the past five or six years," he said. "Every year it seems to get slightly higher in terms of the measurable stats."
According to Blackburn, in-state enrollment will remain consistent with past years at around 67 percent.
Approximately 55 percent of students offered admission accepted in 2003, according to Institutional Assessment and Studies.
The total number of applicants increased from 14,868 last year to 15,094 this year, with an increase in the number of Hispanic students from 512 last year to 629 this year. The number of black students applying increased from 912 to 1,018.
The growth was not significant considering the overall increase in applicants, Blackburn said.
African-American Affairs Dean M. Rick Turner said he is pleased with the increase in black applicants.
"I'm ecstatic," Turner said. "I really thought that this was going to be a banner year for admissions."
Turner said that with black applicants on the rise, the University must work toward retaining and appealing to minority students offered admission.
"The key is how many will accept us," he said. "I think all of us have an obligation that we make it a major challenge to increase their yield rate."
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