As the academic year comes to a close, the University of Dallas will watch its seniors graduate while preparing to welcome the class of 2026.
Currently, there are approximately 317 deposited students for the class of ‘26. The final number of deposited students is projected to be between 400 and 480.
There will most likely be more in-state students than out-of-state in the class of ‘26, with a 60-40 estimate.
There are also projected to be more female students than males, with a 55-45 estimate.
According to Carey Christenberry, an admissions counselor, there are certain “pockets” throughout the United States that consistently send students to UD — hotspots, as it were. These hotspots include St. Louis, Phoenix, California, Chicago, Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C. But the university still has received applications from almost every state.
The admissions counselors work to attract students to UD and help in the college decision and application process. Christenberry’s intern, Alexa Hassel said: “My goal in this whole process is to attract students that are interested in the community we have here, from the Core to the Catholic identity, and show them all that UD has to offer from our majors, to clubs, to faith formation.”
This class is also projected to have a healthy mix of high school backgrounds. According to Christenberry, it is likely that this class will wind up with about 20% homeschooled students, 40% public school students including charter schools and 40% private school students, roughly.
Approximately 80% of the incoming students will be Catholic, which does not stray from the norm. Christenberry said: “Probably, the percentage this year will be greater than last year. I think you’ll still see the kind of Catholicity that we’re used to and in some ways it may be stronger than it was last year. So that still remains to be seen when we see how many actually end up depositing.”
When asked what he finds most promising about the incoming class, Christenberry said that, like most UD students, this class is very intelligent. He also went further, adding that also like most UD students, these students are looking for purpose, meaning, truth and an opportunity to grow in their faith, continuing the tradition of students that has been a staple of UD culture.
Christenberry said, “The quality of students we’re getting as people, not just as academics, but as people, is what makes UD strong, is what makes UD a joyful place to be, and it really is one of the things that has made UD the school that it is.”
When asked if he sees any trends for future classes coming to UD, Christenberry said that while COVID-19 and political unrest may have disrupted any and all trends, one thing has remained and will remain a constant: “I think UD is going to continue to invite students of faith to be part of the school. That’s not going away. That’s not trending away from it, it is actually trending more towards it in the sense that President [Jonathan] Sanford and Dr. [Gregory] Roper really want to help continue to create a community that is welcoming, that is faithful, and that provides a meaningful experience for all the students here.”
Christenberry believes that UD will grow slowly in its demographics and that it will continue to draw interest from private school, homeschool, Catholic, classical and academic backgrounds.
Ultimately, Christenberry sees interest being drawn through the development of UD’s mission, headed by Sanford and Roper. Christenberry believes that UD will continue to cultivate its foundation of faith and reason and that the incoming class will be respectful of UD’s mission — past, present and future.
Christenberry added, “And I think one of the great values of UD is that it doesn’t change its mission just because the world is changing around it.”
Hassell said, “I think the most promising aspect of this class is how excited they seem to be to join our community. I have spoken with multiple students who had UD as a top choice on their college list and just cannot wait to get here in the fall. Listening to these students talk about their joy for UD always puts a smile on my face since I love this community so much!”
