First-year students checking into their Loyola residence hall

Nearly 1,000 first-year students will arrive at Loyola College in Maryland on Thursday, Aug. 27—the first entering class of what will be known as Loyola University Maryland following the school’s designation change on Sept. 25.

Drawn from an applicant pool of 9,136, the largest in Loyola’s 157-year history, the Class of 2013 continues Loyola’s tradition of attracting students with exceptional academic accomplishments and diverse backgrounds. Members of the Class of 2013 were selected for admission primarily based on the level of rigor in their high school curricula and the grades earned in those classes, with a mean unweighted cumulative class grade point average of 3.4. Of those who reported their class rank, more than 55 percent placed in the top 20 percent of their graduating class. Notably, 16 percent of the class comprises students of color—the greatest percentage in university history, and a significant step forward for an institution that has long been committed to increasing the diversity of its student body. The Class of 2013 also hails from 28 states, two U.S. territories, and three additional countries. 

“We have placed a great deal of emphasis on introducing Loyola and its distinctive approach to Jesuit education to prospective students from all regions of the United States and beyond, and we are thrilled to have attracted such a talented group of students for Loyola’s incoming class,” said Elena D. Hicks, director of undergraduate admission. “I know the Class of 2013 will play an important part in enhancing Loyola’s reputation as an outstanding university where talented students can pursue their studies in an academic community grounded in the ideals of ethics and integrity.”