2026 class most diverse in USD history

USD first-years and administrators speak on the important achievement 

Allie Longo / Asst. Feature Editor / The USD Vista

The University of San Diego’s class of 2026 breaks records as the most diverse class in the university’s history since its founding in 1949. The basis of this accomplishment stems from the statistic that there are more students of color than white students in the new class. However, this is no coincidence for the university as they have been making conscious efforts toward this remarkable achievement. 

According to the USD News Center, of the 1,245 students that make up the 2026 class, 49% identify as students of color as opposed to 42% of white students. More specifically, 27% of the class identify as Hispanic, and 5.4% identify as Black, both of which are record highs for the university. Additionally, 24% of the class are first-generation college students.

The university, specifically the administration team, is proud of this achievement of increased diversity, as it is proof of its dedication to creating a stronger multicultural campus community. 

Assistant Vice President for Enrollment Management Steve Pultz shared his excitement about the new accomplishment.

“This has been a long-standing and long-time effort, a very intentional effort for us to become a more diverse and welcoming and accessible community,” Pultz said. “It is the seventh year in a row we have welcomed a more diverse class than we did the year before.”

This high percentage of diversity within the new class is due to the university’s efforts, as well as a shift in demographics and access to education. On USD’s part, it is a combination of two plans put in place and various continuous actions toward progress in diverse enrollment. The first plan is USD’s “Envisioning 2024,” created by the university’s President James T. Harris III during his first year at the school. The plan’s overarching goal is to work toward setting the standard for a contemporary, Catholic university aimed at confronting the urgent challenges of humanity. 

As stated on the university’s website, one of the more specific goals of the plan is to “provide greater access to prospective students from underserved populations in our own backyard and to fully embrace the diversity of humanity on our campus.”

From Envisioning 2024 emerged another plan named “The Horizon Project,” which is more explicitly focused on increasing diversity on campus. 

Director of Admissions Minh-Ha Hoang discussed the plan’s intentions.

“The Horizon Project was much more narrowly focused on diversity: us becoming an HSI (Hispanic Serving Institution), us having a high percentage of Black and African American students,” Hoang said. “That one focuses even more on the diversity pathway.”

Another notable action the university has taken toward diversity is the “Torero Promise,” launched in 2017.

“The Torero Promise is a guaranteed admission process, where we meet full financial need for students that attend one of the Catholic High schools in the diocese of San Diego,” Pultz said. “These high schools are tremendously diverse in terms of their first-generation students, their Hispanic students, of course many of them are Catholic, they represent a variety of many different backgrounds.” 

Hoang spoke on the university’s partnerships with various outside programs that focus on college access and retention, specifically in underserved populations.

“We work with College Bound Opportunities (CBOs) like Upward Bound and Reality Changers, organizations that work in underserved communities to promote a college-going culture, provide support and guidance on getting these students to graduate high school and then apply to college.”

Hoang attributed part of the class of 2026’s record-breaking diversity to outside factors.

“It is true that there is a shift in demographics of our high school population, the main area of growth is with our LatinX population, especially in the western parts of the U.S.,” Hoang said. “However, our administration has been very deliberate in making sure our recruitment goals of having more underrepresented students really match our changing demographics of San Diego and the United States.”

USD first-year Reece Burke shared her thoughts on the class’s diversity.

“I personally think it is very important, because you get different experiences, and you can hopefully connect with different people,” Burke said. 

USD first-year Alyssa Weaver discussed the enrichment the class’ diversity could add to her college experience. 

“I think inside the classroom it’s great we have this diversity, because we are learning different things from each other, and not only that, but we are challenging ourselves to be better than we were when we came into the school,” Weaver said. 

USD first-year Jordan Bayon spoke about whether his class’ notable diversity would have impacted his decision to attend USD.

“Personally, I would have been reaffirmed in my decision to attend USD, had I known I would be joining its most diverse class,” Bayon said.

Pultz discussed the approaches he and his team utilize to ensure a future of a more diverse campus community becomes a reality.

“We are constantly seeing what worked well and what didn’t work well,” Pultz said. “We talked to our incoming students and worked with them. “There will always be new things that we are trying to do to improve our recruitment of first-year students but transfer students, and new graduate students as well.”

Compared to Gonzaga University — a religious university similar in size — USD’s diverse class holds strong. Gonzaga’s class of 2026 is composed of 1,330 students, with only 30% of those students identifying as people of color. Compared to other small, religious universities, USD is also nearly equal to counterpart Fordham University, which welcomed a class of 2,600 first-year students, with 46% students of color. While USD outperforms or matches some similar universities regarding diverse demographics, other universities have even stronger diversity in their 2026 class. One example is Santa Clara University, with an incoming class of 1,660 students and 55% identifying as a person of color.

Hoang expressed how the incoming class’ astounding diversity, impressive academic success and extracurricular involvement make them an exciting new addition to the university. 

“It’s not just because this is the most diverse class in our history, but these students are academically really strong and are highly involved in their community as well,” Hoang said. “They reflect the holistic approach in evaluating applicants, and we couldn’t be more thrilled.”

The college experience is an opportunity for students to learn more about themselves and the world around them. Having a class that is as diverse as the class of 2026 means that there is a new populace of students on campus who can contribute their different stories and experiences, which will benefit the whole community in turn. This ground-breaking achievement in diversity is not only bound to open up new conversations and deeper understandings, but also promote empathy for one another that are pivotal for progressing as an institution, especially an institution that prides itself on changemaking.