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Loyola expects to welcome record-breaking Class of 2024 this fall

Humanities Building
After a challenging spring semester for recruitment due to COVID-19, Loyola University Maryland has exceeded its goal for deposits for the Class of 2024. As of June 9, 2020, the University had 1,090 deposits from students—40 students ahead of the target for the incoming class.

“Given the COVID-19 crisis, we know that this isn’t a typical year, and enrollment behavior may be different this summer leading to higher than normal melt,” said Eric Nichols, vice president for enrollment management. We will be working hard over the coming months to minimize the melt, and to maximize the number of qualified first-year and transfer students whose circumstances lead them to us during the summer.”

As the class stands today, it is also the most racially diverse class welcomed to Loyola, with 34% of applicants identifying as students of color, and it boasts the highest average high school GPA the University has seen. Incoming students from Maryland stand at 29% of the class, which would mark the largest in-state enrollment for an incoming class in more than a decade.

“The rise in the number of in-state students is an example of the influence COVID-19 has had on the enrollment cycle as more students look to stay closer to home this year,” said Nichols.

The Class of 2024 is also the strongest academic incoming class on record with an average GPA of 3.64. It is one of the most socioeconomically diverse classes on record; 18% of the class is Pell Grant eligible. In addition, 17% of the class are first-generation college students—the second largest cohort of first-generation students on record.

The incoming members of the Class of 2024 are currently from 27 states, D.C., Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and five countries, including the United States. 

“The applicant pool continues to amaze me—the academic strength, talent, diversity, and spirit,” said Jennifer Louden, dean of undergraduate admission. “I look forward to welcoming this multifaceted group of students to campus in August.”