<P> The university consistently ranks among the top ten public universities each year in enrollment of National Merit scholars . According to the College Board, the fall 2008 entering freshman class consisted of 54% students in the top 10% of their high school graduating class, 86% in the top quarter, and 99% in the top half . Seventy - four percent of these students took the SAT . The middle 50% of the freshmen had average scores as follows: in critical reading, 520--630, math, 560--670, and in writing 500--610 . Twenty - six percent of the incoming freshmen took the ACT, with the middle 50% scoring between a 23 and 29 . About 80 percent of the student body receives about $420 million in financial aid annually . The admission rate for students who applied as undergraduates in 2012 was 67% . The school is rated as "selective" by US News & World Report . </P> <P> In the fall 2008 semester, the Dwight Look College of Engineering had the largest enrollment of 20.5% . The College of Liberal Arts and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences followed, enrolling 15% and 14% of the student body, respectively . The College of Education and Human Development enrolls 12%, and Mays Business School enrolled about 11% . Colleges with less than 10% enrollment included the College of Architecture, the College of Science, the George Bush School of Government and Public Service, the College of Geosciences, and the College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences . Approximately 8% of the student body had not declared a major . </P> <P> In the fall 2011 semester, enrollment at Texas A&M surpassed 50,000 for the first time . A record 50,054 students were enrolled on the census day . </P> <Table> <Tr> <Th_colspan="2"> University rankings </Th> </Tr> <Tr> <Th_colspan="2"> National </Th> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> ARWU </Th> <Td> 51 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Forbes </Th> <Td> 115 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> U.S. News & World Report </Th> <Td> 68 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Washington Monthly </Th> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th_colspan="2"> Global </Th> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> ARWU </Th> <Td> 96 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> QS </Th> <Td> 165 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Times </Th> <Td> 193 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> U.S. News & World Report </Th> <Td> 88 </Td> </Tr> </Table>

Texas a&m and the university of texas at austin are located in this region of the state