Temple University enrolls one of its largest, most diverse first year classes in recent years

Temple University's enrolled Class of 2028 marks one of its largest and most diverse cohorts in recent years.

The class includes approximately 4,926 students, reflecting a 30% increase from last year. For the fifth consecutive year, Temple reported a record percentage of students of color, with more than half of the first-year class comprising this demographic.

62.3% of the Class of 2028 identify as people of color, the highest percentage in the university’s history. This includes 1,456 enrolled Black students — a 71% increase from last year — while the number of Latino students rose by 193 students, a nearly 45% increase as compared to last year.

Temple’s recently released demographics come amid increased attention to higher education admissions across the nation, following the United States Supreme Court’s decision last summer overturning affirmative action. 

Penn's Class of 2028 demographic data, released in early September, showed a slight drop in the percentage of students from historically underrepresented groups. Students from races and ethnicities historically underrepresented in higher education made up 23% of the Class of 2028, compared to 25% of the Class of 2027. The University declined to provide a breakdown of the data based on race.

Temple's demographics contrasts a trend of declining enrollment of students of color at several other local universities. Haverford College reported a 1.6% decrease in students of color this year. At Swarthmore College, spokesperson Alisa Giardinelli told The Philadelphia Inquirer that early data showed a 4% drop in the number of domestic students of color. 

In the announcement, Temple highlighted new strategies implemented this year that have contributed to the notable increase in diversity.

“Throughout this admissions cycle, we focused greatly on new recruitment strategies,” Temple Provost Gregory Mandel said in the Temple announcement. “These allowed prospective students to connect with faculty and staff to see firsthand just how special Temple is. We also came together across departments to bring in this extraordinary group of new students.”

Supporting these efforts is the university's Temple Promise program, which was launched this year to make tuition free for Philadelphia students from low-income families. 1,101 students from the Class of 2028 are from Philadelphia, reflecting a 68% increase from last year. Nearly 500 of these students received Temple Promise aid, Temple said in a statement to the Philadelphia Inquirer.

This year also saw a significant jump in international student enrollment, up nearly 65% over the last two years. Academically, Temple’s Class of 2028 has an average GPA of 3.42, with nearly 530 students joining the Honors program.

The university is also engaging with the School District of Philadelphia to connect with younger students, potentially starting as early as seventh grade, to strengthen the pipeline to Temple. 

“It’s incumbent upon us to ensure opportunities are available and spread the word so that the pipeline becomes a reality,” Mandel told the Inquirer.