Santa Clara University Welcomes a Record-Breaking Class of 2026
SANTA CLARA, Calif., Sept. 13, 2022—For the second year in a row, Santa Clara University will be welcoming a record-breaking number of first-year students —1,660— when undergraduate classes resume Sept. 19.
This year’s incoming students were selected from a pool of 16,649 applicants, and hail from 41 states, Washington, D.C., Guam, Puerto Rico and 33 countries or regions across the world. First-year students range in age from 16 to 21. An additional 201 new students —ranging in age from 17 to 62—also are joining Santa Clara as transfers from 98 other institutions.
“Santa Clara University is honored to welcome an incredibly talented, diverse, and values-driven class this year,” said Eva Blanco Masias, vice president for enrollment management. “It is gratifying to bring together a most promising group of students of many backgrounds, life experiences, and interests —who share a strong social commitment and devotion to developing their talents for a more just, humane and sustainable world.”
The top five majors of interest for incoming students are computer science and engineering; psychology; finance; biology; and marketing. Forty-eight percent will study in the College of Arts and Sciences; nearly one-third in the Leavey School of Business, and 23 percent in the School of Engineering. Nearly 36 percent of the incoming engineering class is female, the largest percentage in a decade.
Overall, the average unweighted GPA for the Class of 2026 is 3.73, up from 3.63 last year.
Forty-two percent of applicants opted to have their SAT or ACT test results considered as part of the admissions process, despite SCU having extended its test-optional policy through 2023. Those who submitted scores had an average SAT of 1427 and ACT of 32.
Of the 1,660 students entering SCU this fall, just over 55 percent identify as persons of color, up from 51 percent last year; 52 percent are female; and eight percent are international students. Fifteen percent of incoming students will be the first in their family to attend an institution of higher learning.
Santa Clara’s newest students arrive as Santa Clara prepares to inaugurate its 30th president, Julie Sullivan, who began her tenure July 1. Sullivan, the former president of University of St. Thomas and a former professor of accounting, is the first lay (non-clergy) and first woman president in the University’s 171-year history. She will be inaugurated Oct. 7.
Ranked No. 55 of 400 universities nationwide in U.S. News & World Report’s 2023 “Best Colleges” edition, SCU will continue to emphasize student-centered learning, small class sizes, and excellence across the curriculum, providing an exceptional learning environment for new students.
About Santa Clara University
Founded in 1851, Santa Clara University sits in the heart of Silicon Valley—the world’s most innovative and entrepreneurial region. The University’s stunningly landscaped 106-acre campus is home to the historic Mission Santa Clara de Asís. Ranked among the top 15 percent of national universities by U.S. News & World Report, SCU 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. SCU 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. For more information see www.scu.edu.
Media Contact
Deborah Lohse | SCU Media Communications | dlohse@scu.edu | 408-554-5121