Loyola’s class of 2020 entered the fall 2016 semester with higher GPA and SAT score averages than the class before, but with fewer members.

The most recent freshman class, comprised of 613 new students, has continued Loyola’s trend of attracting a diverse group of scholars, with students hailing from nine different countries. However, according to data from the university’s online fact book, the class of 2020 has over 50 members less than the class of 2019 and over 300 students less than the incoming freshman class of four years ago.

Despite a lower enrollment number, Roberta Kaskel, vice president of enrollment management, said Loyola’s class of 2020 is one of the most academically strong classes ever.

“The class is extremely strong,” Kaskel said. “The average SAT score for this class has increased by 19 points over the class that entered in fall 2015, and the average entering GPA is close to
a 3.6.”

The class also boasts 12 Ignatian Scholars, seven new Social Justice Scholars and has 83 freshman students participating in the University Honors Program.

Touting diversity, the newest freshman class has a larger percentage of out-of-state students than the class of 2019, 65 percent compared to the previous year’s
61 percent.

The school’s top sending states this year include Louisiana, Florida, Texas, California and New York. International students hail from countries around the globe including Brazil, Ecuador, England, Germany, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Spain and Switzerland.

According to Niche’s 2017 college rankings, Loyola is one of the most diverse universities in Louisiana, coming in second behind the nearby commuter college University of New Orleans.

Loyola’s Office of Admissions reported 39 percent of the class of 2020 identifies as a person of color and 32 percent identifies as Catholic.

“Coming from California, I am used to living in a place with a lot of different types of people,” Kaylie Saidin, English freshman, said. “And while Loyola is not quite as diverse as California can be, it’s nice to live in a new place with lots of diversity and culture in its own right. Also, I get to meet people from all over the country, from completely different backgrounds.”

Loyola’s freshman classes typically consist of about one-third in-state students, and this year is
no exception.

Thirty-five percent of the class of 2020 is from Louisiana, and 84 percent of those students are from the New Orleans metropolitan area.

Loyola’s top sending local high schools include Benjamin Franklin, Jesuit High School New Orleans, Mount Carmel Academy, DeLaSalle High School and Chalmette High School.

According to the Office of Admissions, at the start of the semester 54 percent of the freshman class was enrolled in the College of Arts and Sciences, 15 percent in the College of Business and 31 percent in the College of Music and Fine Arts. Popular majors include management, biology, mass communication, psychology, music industry studies and popular and commercial music.