SAT scores for the fall 2007 freshman class are lower than the previous class for the second year in a row, while UNC-Chapel Hill’s freshman class had its highest scores yet.

Tommy Griffin, director of undergraduate admissions, said this does not mean State has lowered its standards.

“We’re enrolling really good students, and that is not the only thing we consider. The high school record taken as a whole is a better single predictor than just SAT scores in isolation,” he said.

According to Griffin, the average SAT score for this year’s freshman class was 1171, while in 2006 it was 1176, and 1186 in 2005.

He said there have been normal fluctuations in scores over the years, and it is more important to look at the overall trends.

The 2002 freshman class had the highest SAT scores in a decade, and the average SAT score in 2001 was 1175, while the average in 1997 was 1154, according to Griffin.

The average SAT score for freshmen was 1302 at UNC-CH this year, rising from 1293 in 2006 and 1299 in 2005, according to Jennifer Kretchmar, senior assistant director of research for UNC admissions.

Jonathan Friel, sophomore in microbiology, said that a decrease in scores should not reflect negatively on the freshman class.

“From my experience, this class is just as smart as any others have been,” he said.

The reduced average may be due to several factors, including the large growth in the university’s population. Griffin said that while UNC-CH’s freshman class size has grown by about 12% over the last five years, State’s classes have grown 32% in that same time frame.

“But we’re still being very selective,” he said.

In 2005, they accepted 59.1% of applicants, compared to 75% from 1995.

“The UNC system is projecting continued growth in high-school graduates over the next ten years,” he said.

According to Griffin, the University anticipates more applications, but will eventually reach a point where it cannot grow anymore and will have to be even more selective.

“If we don’t continue to grow as we have in the past five years, and if applications increase, test scores will be expected to increase,” he said.

But Griffin said that selectivity does not focus solely on standardized test scores.

“Scores will be considered, but it’s more important for students to have a sustained effort for four years in high school than four hours [taking the SAT],” he said. “But scores are still important.”