This fall, Tulane University boasts — yet again — its most diverse incoming class. The class of 2027 hails from 49 states and territories, 36 countries and 41% of students identify as a person of color, up 38% from last year.

The admissions cycle also reflects shifting values from the administration, as fewer students were accepted early decision to increase accessibility to lower-income applicants. This change raised the acceptance rate from 8.5% for the class of 2026 to 13% for 2027. Tulane still ranks among the colleges with the lowest acceptance rate nationally. 

“It became clear that we need to save more room in the first-year class for students who are not ready to commit — especially financially — to a university so early in their high school career,” Shawn Abbott, vice president for enrollment management and dean of admissions, said. “While our financial aid offers are extremely competitive for all rounds of admission, it can still be intimidating for families to make such a firm commitment to a university without seeing other offers of admission and financial aid during the Early Decision admission process.” 

Abbott has previously emphasized the importance of improving socioeconomic diversity through scholarship allotment. In this effort, Tulane’s Office of Admission has continued to shift money away from merit to need-based scholarships, though both scholarships will continue to be offered indefinitely, according to Abbott. 

“Affordability shouldn’t be a barrier to having access to a Tulane education,” Director for Diversity Initiatives, Valencia Jones, said. “We will continue to increase recruitment engagement, establish partnerships with community-based organizations, and refine financial aid procedures to increase transparency and reduce barriers for students from modest income backgrounds.”  

This year, 9% of incoming students are Federal Pell Grant recipients from low-income backgrounds and 10% are first-generation college students, an increase from 7% last year. 

In terms of academics, the class of 2027 should have no problem adjusting to Tulane’s academic rigor, with an average ACT score of almost 33 and an average unweighted GPA of 3.7. Submitting ACT or SAT scores remained optional for the class of 2027 and the majority of students did not submit scores. 

The new students on campus will not remedy the gender imbalance, as 64% of incoming students’ legal sex is female. On campus, 61% of all current students identify as female. The class of 2027 also welcomes the highest number of LGBTQ+ students to campus in history, at 13%. 

“This is simply a reality that mirrors a national trend where women are applying and enrolling in larger numbers at most highly selective colleges and universities,” Abbott said. “We have a much larger female-identifying applicant pool so it’s not surprising that more of them are represented in this year’s class.” 

Second only to Louisiana with 230 committed students, the Northeast is the next most represented region, followed by the South Atlantic and the Pacific West. 

“All of these numbers represent new admissions records for us and reflect our commitment to attracting a diverse community of outstanding scholars,” President Michael Fitts said in a campuswide email. “The opportunity to live, learn and engage with others whose experiences differ from our own is a cornerstone of higher education, leading to innovation, improved decision-making, and civil discourse.”