August 25, 2022
University President Jonathan Green encouraged them to be fully engaged in the next four years of their lives — trading in the convenience of virtual events for the connectedness of in-person gatherings.
“Every spring, seniors lament that their four years went by much too fast, and they scramble to make every possible remaining connection. My fear is that you will miss out on truly life-changing relationships because of your own fear of missing out on superficial virtual engagements,” Green said.
“You are all vastly interesting people, which means you are surrounded by vastly interesting people. Put down your phones and revel in being here with each other. Dive in and make the most of your time here because we need you to be enlightened and able leaders prepared and eager to steer our weary world to better times.”
Susquehanna’s Class of 2026 represents just 12.5% of a very strong pool of 6,555 applicants.
The incoming class has an average grade point average of 3.66. The class includes 61 students who were in the top 10 of their high school graduating class, seven valedictorians and three salutatorians.
The Class of 2026 hails from 19 states, with most coming from Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Virginia and Connecticut, and 9 countries, including the U.S. and Brazil, Germany, Hungary, India, Japan, Kenya, Philippines, Qatar and Ukraine.
Nineteen percent of Susquehanna’s incoming students are from historically underrepresented groups (racial and ethnic populations that are disproportionately represented in higher education), 21% are the first members of their families to go to college and 25% are receiving Federal Pell Grants to support their Susquehanna education.
Other facts about the Class of 2026:
- 31% have declared majors in the School of Natural and Social Sciences.
- 26% have declared majors within the Sigmund Weis School of Business.
- 23% have declared majors in the School of Humanities.
- 9% have declared majors in the School of the Arts.
- 12% have not yet declared a major.
Arianna Sivio ’23, a double major in political science and public policy with a minor in international studies and president of the Student Government Association, focused on Susquehanna’s 2022-23 theme of renewal.
“When I started my own story here, I was desperately searching for a fresh start. As a person who experienced bullying all throughout high school, I became quiet and reserved. I went to school and did what was needed and that was all. It wasn’t that I didn’t want more than that, I just didn’t feel like I could. I knew that moving away from home, while terrifying, was going to bring me the peace and comfort that I needed to start over,” Sivio said.
“You’re soon going to realize that there’s an interesting type of beauty that comes with starting over. You find yourself doing things that maybe you never thought you would do, or could do,” she said. “Be open, trust that you’ve learned enough in the last few years to lunge into this new chapter.”