Record Number of Early Applicants Receive Admission Decisions from Santa Clara University
SANTA CLARA, Calif., Dec. 19, 2022 – Santa Clara University sent out admission decisions to a record 10,586 early applicants this fall, an increase of over 24 percent from last year.
Students representing more than 2,000 high schools across the globe applied early for admission to Santa Clara, and received their notifications through an online portal on December 16. Forty nine percent of early applicants were admitted.
Students who apply for early admission tend to be the most committed to attending Santa Clara, and want to secure their spot in the Class of 2027 early. An increase in early-admission applicants is a sign that a Santa Clara education—with its emphasis on rigorous academics, small classes, Jesuit mission and values, and Silicon Valley connections — remains highly valued. Students admitted through Early Action have until May 1 to accept Santa Clara’s admission offer, while students admitted through Early Decision I must confirm their enrollment by January 7.
A Stellar Pool
This year, Santa Clara continued its policy of making submission of SAT or ACT test scores optional. About 44 percent of students chose to submit test scores.
Notable characteristics of this year’s early admitted students include:
- They report an average unweighted GPA of 3.86
- 49 percent are students of color
- 54 percent of students are from outside California
- More than 350 students are the first in their family to attend college
- Almost 9 percent of students are living outside the U.S.
“With this record number of applications this year, it is becoming more clear that we are no longer the “best kept secret'' in Silicon Valley,” said Santa Clara Dean of Admission Becky Konowicz. “Our applicants are not only competent, they are conscientious and compassionate people attracted to SCU’s Jesuit mission and values."
Students can still apply until January 7 through either the Early Decision II or Regular Decision admission tracks. This is the fourth year that Santa Clara will offer Early Decision II, an additional binding admission plan for students—either new applicants or those deferred in the Early Action round—who know SCU is their No. 1 choice.
The Class of 2027 will be arriving at an exciting time on the Mission campus:
- SCU placed 55th among nearly 400 national-level universities in U.S. News & World Report’s 2022-23 “Best Colleges” edition and No. 14 nationally for Best Undergraduate Teaching.
- Julie Sullivan took office in July as the first layperson and first woman president in the University’s 171-year history. A visionary academic leader, she is a passionate champion for the tenets of Catholic social teaching, including creating opportunities and economic inclusion through education, dismantling racism and building belonging, and promoting environmental sustainability.
- SCU continues to emphasize its commitment to diversity and inclusion efforts by joining the American Talent Initiative (ATI). ATI members collectively aim to enroll 50,000 additional talented low- and moderate-income students at colleges and universities with strong graduation rates by 2025.
- The newly opened Sobrato Campus for Discovery and Innovation is fully operational and serving students, faculty and staff in STEM classes, interactive research, and collaboration. One of the largest STEM education facilities in the country, it features flexible labs, collaboration hubs, an Innovation Zone, and multidisciplinary project spaces.
About Santa Clara University
Santa Clara University, a comprehensive Jesuit, Catholic university located 40 miles south of San Francisco in California’s Silicon Valley, offers its more than 9,000 students rigorous undergraduate curricula in arts and sciences, business, theology, and engineering, plus master’s and law degrees and engineering doctoral degrees. Distinguished nationally by one of the highest graduation rates among all U.S. master’s universities, California’s oldest operating higher-education institution demonstrates faith-inspired values of ethics and social justice. For more information, see scu.edu.
Media Contact
Deepa Arora | SCU Communications | darora@scu.edu | (408) 554-5125