Irving, TX (08/23/2021) — As a new academic year begins, the University of Dallas is proud to announce a record-breaking entering freshman class of 487 students for the fall 2021 semester. The Class of 2025 comprises students representing 295 cities and 39 states across the U.S., and is the largest freshman class in the university’s 65-year history. The university has surpassed another milestone as record undergraduate enrollment continues to increase from the past decade. 

New students moved into campus residence halls on Friday, Aug. 20, and undergraduate classes for the 2021-22 academic year begin on Wednesday, Aug. 25. 

“It is encouraging to see so many students choose the University of Dallas. They have come for our distinctive education, one that is rooted in  the greatest works of the Catholic and Western intellectual tradition, an education that fosters excellence through careful study in the sciences, mathematics, arts and humanities,” said President Jonathan J. Sanford, PhD., also a professor of philosophy. “Combined with favorable retention and the continued success of our graduate programs in business, liberal arts and ministry, the influence of UD students and alumni in strengthening communities and renewing our culture will only continue to grow as our student body grows.”

“We are thrilled to see UD's undergraduate enrollment climb to another all-time high,” said Executive Vice President for Enrollment and Student Affairs John Plotts, Ed.D. “The Class of 2025 maintains the university’s high academic standards set by last year's record-breaking freshman class, and we will be welcoming record numbers of Hispanic students and first-generation students, many of whom are from Texas.”

While 58% are from Texas high schools, 42% of students are traveling from other states and countries, with the farthest international student hailing from Bangalore, India. The entering freshman cohort holds a number of distinctions, including:

• 64% of the incoming students are Catholic. 

• They are the most diverse entering class in university history, with 47% minority and 32% Hispanic. 

• 25% are first-generation students, nearly half of whom are from Dallas/Fort Worth.

Reinforcing its academic prestige, the University of Dallas has been named among "America's Top Colleges" by Forbes magazine and among the “Best Colleges” by U.S. News & World Report, as well as receiving placement among The Best 385 Colleges, including recognition as one of the country’s premier undergraduate institutions, by The Princeton Review.