Large and Diverse Applicant Pool Draws Talented Students from All 50 States and More Than 150 Countries
Fordham can’t wait for the Class of 2028!
On March 15, the admission team shared decisions with applicants, officially inviting future Rams to be part of the Fordham family.
Accepted students were drawn from the nearly 44,000 candidates who applied for Fordham’s full-time undergraduate programs in the 2023-2024 application cycle. With applicants hailing from across the country and around the world, Fordham has one of the largest applicant pools in the nation for private colleges and universities, ranking as high as 15th for the number of applications received in recent years.
“Fordham attracts talented students with a diversity of interests and experiences. Our applicants are leaders, athletes, writers, researchers, advocates, performers, and artists,” said Patricia Peek, dean of undergraduate admission. “They come from a variety of backgrounds and locations. We have a very qualified pool of applicants who would be successful at Fordham.”
A Nationwide Draw
Fordham received applications from students in all 50 states; Washington, D.C.; and Puerto Rico, and has continued to expand its presence beyond the Northeast. While New York still comprised the highest number—more than 13,000 applications this year, including 1,800+ from the Bronx and 2,200+ from Manhattan—many applicants hail from New Jersey, California, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Florida, and Texas. Peek said Fordham has seen increased growth in Puerto Rico, Illinois, and Louisiana over the past few cycles.
Students applied from a diverse group of more than 9,000 high schools, including public, private, and Jesuit, to be a part of this year’s class, Peek said.
Global Growth
With students applying from more than 150 countries, the University has seen an 8% increase in its number of international applicants. India, Vietnam, Brazil, Ghana, and Venezuela are a few of the countries where interest in Fordham continues to grow.
Attracting students from around the world who can enrich and be enriched by the Fordham community has been a priority for the University, Peek said.
“The diverse mix of international and domestic students creates a rich, vibrant campus environment for everyone. Not only are Fordham scholars living and learning in the greatest city in the world—they’re also benefitting from a wealth of perspectives and experiences.”
Talented Applicant Pool
Fordham received applications for nearly every one of its 70+ majors, ranging from biological sciences to journalism, from finance to theatre. About 3,500 students applied as undecided, which allows them to explore their varied interests and develop new skills.
On average, applicants have a high school grade point average of 3.57, (90+ or A/A-). Peek said that many students have taken challenging courses, such as Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, and honors classes, which the admission team considers as part of its holistic application review. Fordham is test-optional, meaning that students are considered for admission, scholarships, and honors programs whether or not they submit scores. Peek said that academic performance and preparation in high school are always reviewed in the context of the student’s experience and are a core element of the application review.
Greater Interest in Business
While Fordham College at Rose Hill received the most applications overall, with more than 22,000 this year, the Gabelli School of Business programs at Rose Hill and Lincoln Center continued to see an increase in applications, as did Fordham College at Lincoln Center.
Supporting Students Amidst FAFSA Delays
While this year’s financial aid application process has been complicated by the delayed FAFSA, Brian Ghanoo, associate vice president for student financial services, said the University is committed to helping students and their families through the process.
Because the University uses another financial aid form called the CSS Profile in addition to the FAFSA, Ghanoo said that they’ve been able to provide families with a preliminary financial aid offer.
“Fordham is committed to upholding the financial aid offer that you’ve received,” he shared with families. “It may go up, but it should not go down, as long as all of the data on the FAFSA is consistent with the information you provided on the [CSS] Profile.”
Ghanoo noted that the financial aid offer that students receive for the first year is renewable for the remaining three years, as long as students meet the renewal criteria and complete the FAFSA.
Peek said that both the undergraduate admission and financial aid offices “believe in care of the whole person and work with families and their circumstances individually.” The offices often work together to host joint virtual sessions to help students throughout each stage of the process—from application to admission to enrollment.
“Both offices interact with students on campus and virtually, and want to help make what is often a stressful process as easy as possible,” she said.
Class of 2028 and Beyond: Looking Ahead to Future Rams
Reviewing applications for the incoming class is just one part of the admission team’s work. Counselors are also actively engaging with prospective high school juniors and sophomores—meeting with them in their schools, at college fairs, or on Fordham’s campuses— as they begin the college search process.
Students interested in learning more about Fordham are invited to visit campus and see what student life is like. There are a variety of opportunities, including tours, information sessions, and fall open houses. Fordham also offers recently expanded pre-college summer programs for high school students interested in challenging themselves and gaining college experience.
“We’re excited to welcome the Class of 2028 and all our future classes of Rams,” said Peek.
Learn more about admissions opportunities and how to apply to Fordham.
