Trees blossoming in front of James B. Colgate Hall in the early spring. (Photo by Andy Daddio)
Colgate’s incoming Class of 2018 continues a trend of out-performing the previous class in overall academic strength, and increasing economic and cultural diversity.
This class also stands out for receiving the most financial aid ever from Colgate, as 43.4 percent are receiving institutional grant funding, up from 41.6 percent in 2017. The university also continues to meet 100 percent of students’ demonstrated financial need.
“Nearly 100 additional financial aid offers were made to the Class of 2018, and that is a direct result of the overwhelming generosity of our alumni, family, and friends who made donations. The support received during the 2013 Colgate Day fundraising effort had such a huge impact,” said Vice President and Dean of Admission Gary Ross ’77.
Colgate’s financial aid program is designed to help a wide range of families and need is determined on a case-by-case basis. For instance, 96 percent of families with an annual income of $80,000 to $99,999 in the Class of 2018 received aid, with an average award of $45,331.
The average combined SAT score for the 778 enrolled students is 1372, 17 points higher than the Class of 2017, and the incoming class also boasts an all-time highest combined average GPA of 3.68.
Nearly a third, 30.1 percent, of the incoming class self identifies as coming from a multicultural background, an increase of 1.4 percent over last year. And while international students make up 10 percent of the incoming class, Senior Associate Dean of Admission Karen Long said the increasing number of multicultural students in the class was driven by gains on the domestic side.
As explained in Colgate President Jeffrey Herbst’s report on the strategic plan, “Learning with people from a variety of backgrounds encourages collaboration and fosters innovation. Everyone benefits.”
Colgate’s Alumni Memorial Scholars program, which provides travel grants to students with the strongest academic profile, saw a major increase of 45 percent over 2017. Long said there was also strong yield for the Benton Scholars and the Summer Institute.
“All three of these competitive scholarship programs recognize extraordinary talent and promise. So, strong yield in these three groups is something that makes us very proud,” Long said.
Small gains were also made in enrolling students from North Carolina, Arizona, Utah, Tennessee, and Georgia, Long said. New York continues to be the strongest market for Colgate students, followed by California, the Mid-Atlantic region, and New England.