UC CEAS Welcomes Largest Incoming Freshmen Class in History

This fall, the University of Cincinnati College of Engineering and Applied Science (CEAS) is welcoming its largest freshmen class in history as enrollment has increased nearly 25 percent as compared to last year. These students have chosen to embark on an engineering education consisting of a highly regarded curriculum with emphasis on mandatory

cooperative education work experience

and immersion in engineering starting in the very first year.

Students are joining CEAS from across the nation, representing 16 different states as far west as Idaho and Nevada, including many from the Midwest, and along the East Coast. Confirming its reputation as a nationally and internationally recognized college, CEAS has also attracted 31 international students that will be making Cincinnati their new home. These students come from 13 different countries, including Bangladesh, China, Egypt, India, Mexico, Myanmar, Nepal, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Spain, Sri Lanka and Vietnam.

CEAS Interim Dean Teik C. Lim affirms, “CEAS has a long-standing tradition of excellence and offers limitless opportunities in the engineering pedagogy. Our internationally renowned cooperative work experiences, vigorous research programs, world-class learning center and strong reputation for engineering innovation continually appeal to top-flight talent both nationally and internationally.

This year, we are pleased to be welcoming the largest incoming class in our history, with approximately 200 more freshmen than in 2012. The average ACT score of all CEAS applicants increased by 0.6 points over last year, and students offered admission to CEAS have the highest average ACT (28.1) at UC.

These students, together with faculty and our industrial partners, will lead our community, nation and world to the next level as we continue our quest to ENGINEER BETTER™.”

Thirty-two of the confirmed freshmen, many of whom scored very high on the ACT, were ranked number one in their high school class. Approximately 73 percent of the class will be living in a UC residence hall in the fall. Additionally, CEAS has seen substantial increases in enrollment in both computer science and computer engineering—confirmations to computer engineering have more than doubled and admissions to computer science have risen by 94 percent. 

As a leader in research and an innovation hub in the Midwest, CEAS has consistently attracted the brightest minds. This year, fourteen incoming freshmen are National Merit Finalists and two are Cincinnatus Presidential Scholarship awardees. The National Merit Finalists have all been awarded a UC Cincinnatus Excellence scholarship which amounts to full tuition, room, and a one-time $1,500 stipend to be used towards a computer purchase, study abroad experience, or research experience. The Presidential awardees receive full tuition, room and board.

Becky Tudor, academic director of CEAS undergraduate enrollment, says, “We are thrilled to be welcoming our largest and arguably our most talented class of future engineers to the College of Engineering and Applied Science. While the incoming class includes 32 valedictorians and students with near perfect ACT and SAT test scores, the class is also defined by their competitive and diverse strengths outside of the classroom. Our holistic admission process brought to light the altruistic visions of a class of students committed to improving the world through countless hours of service to people in their local communities as well as around the world. 

Our newest class includes students who have overcome extreme adversity on their path to college. Over and over again, we identified strong leadership traits in the incoming class as students mentioned being captain of a high school sports team, serving as president of their student class, or rising to the ranks of Eagle Scout. 

We couldn’t be happier to see such talented students choose CEAS and we look forward to the opportunity to follow along as they pursue even greater success.”

CEAS is pleased to present the first glimpse at some of the top-notch talent who’ve made the commitment to join us as WE ENGINEER BETTER™:

Darius Cepulis

, incoming freshman and National Merit Scholar, hails from Cleveland, Ohio, where he attended St. Ignatius High School. His love for AP BC calculus and thought-provoking theology courses spurred him to go into engineering. Cepulis explains, “I joined the Freshman Engineering Program because, though I knew I was going to be interested in engineering, I still wanted time to explore the different fields of engineering to see what really interested me.”

This scholar is an active member of both the school and the community. Cepulis fills his time as the Latin Club Media Editor, serving as vice captain of the FIRST Robotics team, participating in Lithuanian Scouts, acting as the Secretary of his Lithuanian Catholic Youth Group and volunteering at parish events.

Cepulis reflects on his numerous achievements, “Academically, I am particularly proud of my standardized test scores. Outside of academics, I am most proud of my accomplishments in Lithuanian extracurricular activities, from achieving the Eagle scout equivalent in Lithuanian Scouts to being chosen as new counselor of the year in a Lithuanian Catholic Youth Camp.”

Cepulis was drawn to UC CEAS not only because of the generous scholarship offered to him for being a National Merit Finalist, but also because of the renowned co-op program. Beyond college, he says, “I hope to find a career that truly enthralls me. Something I can look forward to doing every day. Hopefully with this career I'll also be able to make some positive difference in the world. I plan to ‘put a ding in the universe’ as Steve Jobs said.”

As an AP scholar (a title awarded to those who achieve a score of 3+ on three or more rigorous AP tests), Cepulis eagerly awaits the first day, “I'm looking forward to becoming acquainted with the city, UC, and the other end of the state of Ohio!”

National Merit Scholar

John Myers

comes to UC from Twinsburg High School in Twinsburg, Ohio. As a fan of AP calculus and a believer in positively contributing to the lives of others, he has chosen to enter the civil engineering program at CEAS. Following the footsteps of his father, who is also an engineer, Myers says, “I want to see tangible results when I work, so going into a field where I could build something was the obvious choice. I chose the field of civil engineering specifically because I think a life solely lived for one’s own benefit is no life at all.”

Myers also enjoyed AP literature and composition because it allowed him to be more artistic and creative. In his spare time, Myers worked as a loading dock employee, was a bassist for his church band and went on backpacking trips to North Carolina and the Sierra Nevada. He reflects, “I generally consider my greatest accomplishments to be outside of the classroom. I led a team of twenty students on a mission trip to the Dominican Republic, and was responsible for each and every one of them—I consider it an accomplishment that everyone made it back in one piece. I also consider my recent trip to Haiti a great accomplishment. I worked on a team consisting solely of adult men to do construction work on an awesome school in Ouanaminthe, Haiti.”

Myers is anxious to jump into classwork and real-world experiences simultaneously—a perk that CEAS provides both nationally and internationally. “I chose UC for a few reasons. The generous scholarship helped, but I wanted a school that could get me the work experience I needed to become a great civil engineer. The highly regarded co-op program at UC immediately grabbed my interest, and I am still excited by it,” he adds.

Looking towards the future, Myers would like to collaborate with fellow engineers to build and improve water supply and waste management systems for third world countries. He explains, “This may entail volunteer work, which I am more than willing to do. I also plan to continue to have a relationship with the school I helped construct in Haiti throughout college, hopefully getting ‘Engineers without Borders’ involved as well.”

• See the list of and apply to undergraduate programs in UC's College of Engineering and Applied Science.