May 1 meant final enrollment decisions for the Lafayette Class of 2022, and the incoming class is growing in several aspects. The 759 members will be a part of a bigger, more diverse and more international class.
The admissions team said they recruited students that are not only more cosmopolitan but more reflective of the “real world.” They also sought students whom the team feels have a natural curiosity, excitement, desire to engage and energy to learn and do more outside of the classroom.
Lafayette has increased its number of both applications and acceptances in the current effort to increase overall college enrollment. The school received 9,236 applications and accepted 2,703. Last year, the school received 8,461 applications and accepted 2,609.
“More of those who we thought would turn us down decided to become Leopards. [A larger class size] creates some challenges but more awesome opportunities,” Dean of Admissions Matthew Hyde said. “The number will go down a little [due to committed students being accepted off the waitlist at other schools]. We’re guessing by 5 percent by the end of August. The class will be bigger [than previous classes] but not dramatically bigger.”
Hyde added that the class of 2022’s students of color (SOC) rate increased, both domestically and overall. The SOC rate is 29 percent this year compared to 26 percent last year. For domestic SOC, the rate last year was 19 percent and this year it will be 22 percent. The class will be “more culturally, economically and socioeconomically diverse,” according to Hyde.
More than half (51. 1 percent) of the incoming class is female. The standard SAT score was 1345 and the average ACT score was 29.97. There will be 23 Valedictorians/Salutatorians, 11 Marquis Fellows and 40 Marquis Scholars. 57 percent (430) of the students will be coming from the Tri-State area—163 from New Jersey, 135 from New York, and 132 from Pennsylvania.
Hyde added that the team is proud of their “financial aid side. 47% of students this year and last year receive financial aid.”
In terms of quality, Hyde said they have been looking for academic yet passionate students.
“Finding success is critical. We want the opportunity to find those who care about other people. We want to look for students who have an interest to engage and increase the dynamics at Lafayette. We like action-oriented students who are excited to fully engage,” he said.
Admissions as seen an increase in the geographic diversity of the class, as well as an increase in academic success from previous years.
“We’ve been less reliant on the immediate Tri-State area,” Hyde said. “Academically, if you look at traditional metrics of quality, such as SAT and ACT, it looks to be stronger than in past years. This new normal is more diverse and academically more powerful, and we take pride in this.”
Nearly one in 10 of the class of 2022 are international students, from countries including Bangladesh, Vietnam, Morocco, Russia, Madagascar, Japan, Jamaica, Guatemala, Germany and the Ivory Coast.
Explaining this global diversity, Hyde said, “This is a key voice to add. We share Marquis de Lafayette as the world’s first global citizen who took action beyond his own roots. These students will bring their own voices and perspectives to our campus.”
Hyde said he and his team members always look for the “most dimension we can. We want leading academic talent, but beyond that, we have a responsibility to create a medium for all students to realize how exciting the world is. This diversity is very important and critical, especially when you think of the world today. We want to reflect the larger world to demonstrate diversity and dimension.”