�Ļ�ӰԺ

Nearly 400 new students, filled with hopes, expectations and some fears about starting college, encountered enthusiastic support from dozens of Orientation team members and student volunteers as they arrived on campus August 25.

“What a joy to extend a warm and helpful welcome and support the new students and their guests,” says Angela D’Amour, dean of student engagement.

The new arrivals included about 320 first-year students and 70 transfers, the largest group of transfer students in �Ļ�ӰԺ’s 85-year history.

“These students come with inspirational stories, im­pressive academic profiles and incredible leadership qualities,” says Irene Neller, vice president for enroll­ment, marketing and com­munications.

The class’s average GPA of 4.0, with a middle range of 3.68-4.39, sets the mark as the highest recorded GPA for incoming students in �Ļ�ӰԺ’s history.

The most popular majors for new students include kinesiology, economics and business, psychology and communication studies.

Twenty-one students, including four internationals, have spent two or more years abroad. The new students represent 15 countries and 34 U.S. states. The Tri Counties are well represented with 71 students from Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo Counties.

�Ļ�ӰԺ awarded four-year academic scholarships ranging from $15,000-$41,514 each year to more than 95 percent of enter­ing new students. Sixty-two high-achieving, first-year students selected as Augustinian Scholars have received scholarships ranging from $25,000 up to 85 percent of tuition. Students of color comprise 43 percent of the incoming new class, and the number of first-generation stu­dents has grown expo­nentially.

Six students, includ­ing Jennifer Bautista Rodriguez and Wendy Santillan, took advan­tage of generous schol­arships from the San­ta Barbara Education Foundation’s Program for Effective Access to College (PEAC) and Santa Barbara Mission Scholars Program.

Jennifer, Wendy and about 40 other new stu­dents arrived on cam­pus for the pre-Orientation First Connections program, which allows first-generation and international students to get better acclimat­ed to the college experience while meeting fellow students, professors and staff.

“It was a good experience to connect with so many people,” Jennifer says. “The First Walk was something I had never seen before, and it gave me a sense of how much the college cares for and celebrates its students. Orientation truly helped my transition to college.”

“I got to meet new people and connect with professors, which made the first day of school really enjoyable and less terrifying,” Wendy says. “My best memories are events like the carnival and the First Walk.”

New programs this year include the Orientation Carnival and Family Feud: Students Versus Faculty. The ’80s- and ’90s-themed carnival featured something for everyone, such as an inflatable obstacle course, human foosball, games, snacks, dancing and prizes at Murchison Gym.

Students and professors duked it out in �Ļ�ӰԺ’s Family Feud, answering questions about college life, such as relationships, thriving and academics.

�Ļ�ӰԺ’s new nursing program enrolled its second cohort this fall with 20 new students. They’ve joined the existing cohort of eight who began last January. Both cohorts attend classes at �Ļ�ӰԺ Downtown. The college operates the program, a 16-month Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing, in partnership with Cottage Health.

After the Service of Commitment, new students and their families processed through the Formal Garden following bagpipers and a flag with the verse for the Class of 2026: “So that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith” (Ephesians 3:17).