By Kayla Pickrell

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A record number of enrolled incoming students started at UK this academic year, along with a record number of Singletary Scholars.

UK President Eli Capilouto presented the fall 2012 enrollment report at the Board of Trustees meeting Tuesday, showing results for the class of 2016.

A total of 4,645 new students enrolled in UK this year, which is almost an 11 percent increase from the 4,139 students in fall 2011.

“We are growing in size, quality, and most importantly, value,” Capilouto said. “We must be the Number 1 choice throughout Kentucky.”

The number of non-Kentucky residents who entered UK is a record 1,460 students — up from the 1,073 last school year. The number of non-residents has grown every year since 2009, which saw 897 incoming freshman non-residents.

Capilouto stated in the enrollment report that this year was the “largest, most diverse and best prepared fall incoming class in institution history.”

Twenty-five percent of the incoming students from the class have a 4.0 high-school GPA or higher.

The number of students who are National Merit or Achievement Scholars more than doubled to 71. Fall 2011 had 29.

The number of Singletary Scholars almost doubled, to 51 students. Last year, 34 students entered UK as Singletary Scholars.

Of the Singletary Scholars, five were National Merit scholars, 26 were from the Governor’s School for the Arts or were Governor’s Scholars, and 15 were valedictorians.

“We have a record number of valedictorians this school year,” Capilouto said.

At the board meeting, Capilouto introduced five Singletary Scholars who scored a perfect 36 on their ACTs.

All five are from Kentucky.

“We discuss a lot of challenges in here, and we read and hear a lot of challenges,” Capilouto said, “but these young people demonstrate, with no question, our current state.

“We are the university for Kentucky.”

Another record for the incoming freshmen is the number of Honors students.

Last fall, 226 students were accepted into the Honors student — this year, 309 students were.

That is an almost 27 percent increase.

Capilouto also announced a new position of senior vice provost for student success, which will be filled by Dan O’Hair, the dean of the College of Communications and Information Studies.

“We are increasing in student demand,” Capilouto said.