The growth of Elon University’s student population is being matched by the growth of applicants. The number of applications for the Class of 2016 was the highest received by the university.

This year, 10,241 students from across the world applied to Elon, the first time in the school’s history the number of applicants exceeded 10,000.

“Elon’s reputation is growing every year,” said Greg Zaiser, vice president of admissions. “More people are discovering us.”

Of the more than 10,000 applicants, 51 percent were accepted and 1,420 students are expected to make up the Class of 2016, the same amount of incoming freshmen last fall.

The academic quality of students who applied to the university was also on the rise, as GPA and SAT scores continue to increase compared with previous years. For this year’s freshman class, the average SAT score is 1860 and the average ACT score is 28, both higher than previous years. The weighted GPA is 3.94, a slight increase from last year’s freshman class.

Elon is receiving more recognition internationally as well, as the number of students with an international background is also the highest it has ever been. There are a total of 114 freshmen students arriving on campus this year from other countries, 41 of those non-US citizens. According to Zaiser, the increase is a result of Elon focusing more on international recruitment.

“We identify (international) schools with students we would like to attract,” Zaiser said.

The newly established International Fellows program, which was first offered to the Class of 2015, has contributed to the increase of international students. The program offers 20 spots to non-US citizens or those holding dual citizenship that have spent most of their lives overseas.

[box]BY THE NUMBERS

10,241 - total applicants

1,420 - members of Class of 2016

1860 - average SAT score

28 - average ACT score

3.94 - average GPA[/box]

But, similar to previous years, the No. 1 sender state of Elon students was North Carolina, at 17 percent of the student body. Massachusetts and New Jersey tied for second at 10 percent, Maryland and Virginia tied for third at 7 percent and New York and Pennsylvania tied for fourth at 6 percent. One noticeable difference is the increased number of students from the West Coast and the Midwest than in previous years.

Students applying for a spot in Elon’s Class of 2016 were offered a chance to apply for Elon’s newest scholarship, the Elon Engagement Scholarship. The scholarship, worth $3,500 annually, does not identify students solely on their academic record, but primarily on a written essay.

“We unhooked ourselves from academic profile scholarships through this application by focusing on the essay,” said Melinda Wood, associate dean of admissions. “We grant it to students who have a spark of a great idea.”

In addition to a new scholarship, incoming freshmen had a choice to apply to the new Gap Semester Program. The program, which is in its first year, is open to 15 incoming students who will spend their first semester of college away from Elon. Through the program, these students will spend three weeks at the National Outdoor Leadership School in Wyoming, another three weeks traveling across the country to various locations and six weeks in Costa Rica.

“We continue to identify core Elon students — someone who is smart, but who also has a good heart,” Wood said.