Lafayette College received a record number of applications for the incoming Class of 2029, while the acceptance rate dropped to a near-record low.
10,547 students applied to join next year’s class — a 3.5% increase from last year — while 3,108 students — or 29.46% of the applicants — were accepted, according to Director of Enrollment Data Analytics Dan Brown.
The 29.46% acceptance rate is a drop from the Class of 2028’s acceptance rate, which was 31.5%, according to the college website. The lowest acceptance rate at the college, according to college data, was 28.2% for the college’s Class of 2021.
The admissions team is expecting 735 students to enroll for the Class of 2029, a larger goal than the projected class sizes of 2028 and 2027, according to Dean of Admissions Krista Evans. Last year, the college projected that 700 students would enroll, and 698 students ultimately joined the current first-year class.
The college received applications from a wide variety of locations, accepting students from 48 states and territories, and 64 countries.
Evans estimated that about half of the students enrolling at Lafayette are from two early decision rounds, and the other half will come from the regular decision application pool.
Accepted students have until May 1 to submit a deposit to join the Class of 2029, with multiple accepted student days — Experience Lafayette College and Fridays at Lafayette — taking place throughout the remainder of April.
Disclaimer: Editor-in-Chief Isabella Gaglione ’25, Design Director Jen Parsons ’26, News Editor Andreas Pelekis ’26, Culture Editor Natalia Ferruggia ’26 and Assistant Sports Editor Benjamin White ’27 are employed by Lafayette College Admissions. They did not contribute writing or reporting.
A correction was made on April 5, 2025: A previous version of this article stated that 733 students joined Lafayette College’s Class of 2028. There are 698 students in the Class of 2028.
