SANTA CLARA, Calif., Sept. 21, 2026\u2014 In a joyful annual ritual, Santa Clara University welcomed over 1,900 new first-year and transfer students during its campus-wide Welcome Weekend. Over three days, dozens of campus units and organizations held open houses; students moved into residence halls and got acclimated to campus; and President Julie Sullivan welcomed the new arrivals to the 2026-27 school year.<\/p>\n
\u201cYour Santa Clara education will prepare you for a meaningful life and career success in this rapidly changing world,\u201d said Sullivan. She advised the students to develop their \u201cauthentic selves,\u201d saying \u201cauthenticity comes from radical self-acceptance of who you really are\u201d in order \u201cto discern what matters to you, what your values are, and what is your \u2018why\u2019.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Santa Clara\u2019s undergraduate Class of 2030 comprises 1,622 Broncos from 44 states and 18 countries or regions across the world. An additional 289 students\u2014a record cohort\u2014 joined Santa Clara as transfers from over 134 institutions including 38 California Community Colleges campuses.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe members of the Class of 2030 personify the best values of Santa Clara University, with talented students from so many different backgrounds who want to use their gifts and talents to build a more sustainable, just and kind world,\u201d said Eva Blanco Masias, vice president for enrollment management. \u201cWe are also delighted that our efforts to meet the financial need of stellar students from a variety of socioeconomic backgrounds, geographic locations, and transfers from other institutions is resulting in tremendous interest in Santa Clara university\u2019s values-based and experiential education.\u201c<\/p>\n
The Class of 2030 was chosen from among nearly 20,000 applicants, and the University also received a record-breaking 1,359 applications from transfer students.<\/p>\n
Santa Clara\u2019s incoming first-year students have an average unweighted GPA of 3.69 from rigorous high school curricula.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Other facts about incoming first-year students include:<\/p>\n
First-generation college students represent 18% of the class
\nInternational students represent 6%
\nGraduates of Jesuit high schools: 8%
\nIncoming Posse scholars: 10
\nCristo Rey graduates: 38 students, up from 33 from last year and comprising the most enrolled Cristo Rey graduates of any U.S. university.<\/p>\n
About Santa Clara University
Founded in 1851, Santa Clara University sits in the heart of Silicon Valley \u2014 the world\u2019s most innovative and entrepreneurial region. The University\u2019s stunningly landscaped 106-acre campus is home to the historic Mission Santa Clara de As\u00eds. Ranked among the top 15 percent of national universities by U.S. News & World Report, Santa Clara has among the best four-year graduation rates in the nation and is rated by PayScale in the top 1 percent of universities with the highest-paid graduates. The University has produced elite levels of Fulbright Scholars as well as four Rhodes Scholars. With undergraduate programs in arts and sciences, business, and engineering, and graduate programs in six disciplines, the curriculum blends high-tech innovation with social consciousness grounded in the tradition of Jesuit, Catholic education.<\/p>\n
Media Contact
Deborah Lohse | Santa Clara Media Communications | dlohse@scu.edu | 408-554-5121<\/p>\n
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