05/04/2026

Dear Campus Community,

I have great news to share with you as we look toward Academic Year (AY) 2026-27. This August, the University of Puget Sound will welcome its largest incoming class since 2019.

This milestone is more than just a data point. It is a powerful testament to the vibrancy of our campus and the enduring value of a Puget Sound education. In an increasingly complex world, students and their families are clearly seeking the critical thinking, interdisciplinary agility, and deep sense of community that define the Logger experience.

At this time, we expect approximately 650 new students, including first-year, transfer, and graduate students, will join us this fall. This enrollment growth includes a first-year class that currently numbers 485 new students, roughly 100 more than enrolled at Puget Sound at the start of AY 2025-26. The first-year class hails from 35 states and seven countries, making it our most geographically diverse new student class in several years. It is also an academically strong group, boasting an average, unweighted, cumulative high school GPA of 3.63.

Our growth this year is the result of a deliberate, student-first approach spearheaded by Vice President for Enrollment Tim Whittum, and supported by the collective and outstanding work of his teams in enrollment and student financial services. We have reimagined how we connect with prospective students through several key initiatives:

  • Sustainable Growth: Our updated strategic enrollment plan is designed to respond to shifting priorities in higher education while staying true to our residential liberal arts mission. For this cycle, this included evolving the timelines for admission decision releases and recruitment events.
  • Financial Aid Transparency: We revised our financial aid strategy to ensure our packages are both competitive and transparent, making a world-class liberal arts education more accessible.
  • Proactive Marketing: We implemented a number of initiatives to lift Puget Sound’s presence in historical and new markets and positioned the institution favorably in front of a greater number of prospective students and families.

This achievement and success belong to all of us, and is rooted in the tireless, student-centered work of our entire admissions team and the faculty and staff who make this university the school of choice for these outstanding young people. Thank you for your continued dedication to our mission, which allows us to attract and retain the next generation of leaders.

Sincerely,

Isiaah Crawford, Ph.D. | President