Centre on pace for record-breaking fall, welcoming a multi-faceted incoming class

Centre College is on pace for a record-breaking fall with its largest number of incoming students arriving on campus. A combined 433 new students are poised to continue Centre’s legacy of high achievement and academic excellence.

The 408 first-year students in the Class of 2028 and 25 incoming transfers demonstrate Centre's commitment to provide opportunity and access to a high-quality education for students from all backgrounds.

“We look forward to welcoming these students to the Centre community,” said Centre President Milton C. Moreland. “With students arriving from all corners of the globe, we share in their excitement as they embark on new opportunities and embrace the Centre experience. With so many remarkable students in this group, we know they will make their mark here.”

The incoming class not only bolsters Centre’s high academic standards, but also features students who are leaders outside the classroom through community engagement and extracurricular interests.

"This is a crucial step in what has already been a remarkable journey for these students,” said Moreland. “History has shown how a Centre education can change a student’s life, providing unmatched experiences and a return on their investment that is second to none. We look forward to seeing their growth over four years on campus and all they will accomplish after graduation."

Among those arriving on campus this fall is an international student who, at age 16, founded an organization empowering Indigenous youth in her home country, offering education and access to health services, addressing problems such as school dropouts due to unplanned pregnancies. Another first-year student led a project to plant trees in downtown Phoenix and promote awareness of the importance of greenery on human health and the environment.  

Also arriving this fall is an avid poet and student-athlete planning to major in art, as well as a seasoned sailor who spent the summer before their first year in college working on a ship off the coast of New England.

Given Centre’s global approach to education, it is striking to see one incoming student has completed a full immersion program in Spain while another led a project that culminated in the creation of a 480-page Sino-Vietnamese language dictionary.

The incoming students represent 28 states and 20 countries, with 101 domestic students of color adding to the diverse applicant profile. Additionally, 102 first-generation scholars will be counted among the incoming students, affirming Centre’s first-generation guarantee to provide extensive financial and personal support to all incoming first-generation students.

Centre’s robust fall numbers stand out as colleges around the country struggled amid national delays in rolling out a new Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form. Centre combatted the financial aid logjam by providing a custom form to help families more quickly evaluate their options, providing much-needed clarity and transparency as enrollment deadlines drew near. 
 
“I firmly believe that our willingness to take the lead in providing an alternative financial aid estimate process put us in position to enroll students by giving them cost certainty when other places would not,” said Chad Spencer, vice president for enrollment management. “I am proud of the way our financial aid team stepped into the void to create a straightforward process for our prospective students during a time when the federal process was broken and confusing.”

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