Saint Mary’s is on the Move
Enrollment Grows for the Second Straight Year
By BARBARA ALLISON
Saint Mary’s College’s incoming class grew for the second straight year: 524 first-year and transfer students, up from 474 last year. Sarah Gallagher Dvorak ’99, Dean of Enrollment Management and Marketing, said: "this year’s class is not only impressive in their academic quality and diversity, but they are the largest first-year class that we've welcomed to campus since the 1980s. It underscores the College's success in fostering a transformative and empowering environment, offering personalized attention, prestigious academics, and proven outcomes that students and families value today."
Of the 496 students in the Class of 2030, 30 percent are first-generation college students, 31 percent are students of color, and 20 percent are legacy students. They represent 31 states and territories, and six countries. This year’s 28 transfer students represent 10 states and two countries.
“We have many entrepreneurs who’ve founded their own non-profit organizations, many students who have founded women's empowerment clubs or programs at their schools and in their communities, a national junior fencing champion from Spain, and a student who is writing a book,” Gallagher Dvorak said. “They're made up of thespians, musicians, athletes, entrepreneurs, artists, performers, and leaders who are making a difference in their communities.”.
Lori Johnson ’91, Vice President for Student Enrollment and Engagement, lauded the efforts of the College’s Admission, Student Financial Services, and Marketing teams for the repeated record number of incoming students. “These folks build great relationships with students and their families,” she said recently to faculty and staff at the College’s back-to-school Forum. “This is a moment where our distinctive identity is helping us stand out in a landscape of higher education.”
I don't need to look at any more schools. This is where I want to go. This is where God has guided me to.
- Krystina Gil '30
Saint Mary’s strong Catholic identity made the College a great fit for first-year student Krystina Gil of Hammond, Indiana. As her father Hugo unpacked the family car outside of McCandless Hall on move-in day, he said: “First and foremost is the Catholic faith.” Following their family’s visit to Saint Mary’s, he said his daughter told him: “‘Dad, I don't need to look at any more schools. This is where I want to go. This is where God has guided me to.’”
Krystina confirms: “I love that the school is rooted in faith,” she said. “When I visited, the sense of community felt like home. Everybody was so kind.”
For Taylor Madry, an incoming business administration major from Marshall, Michigan, the small campus and personal attention is what sealed the deal for her. “I like the small feel and close community here, but I still have the big campus across the street,” she said.
Madry’s father Jason also likes the small class sizes Saint Mary’s offers students. “I like the idea of a small school,” he said. “She went to a small high school, and being in a class with 300 people might have been too big for her.”
The Avenue Experience, the College’s curriculum-to-career initiative, has also elevated Saint Mary’s College profile in the higher education landscape. “Our launch of the Avenue Experience provides students with a team of advisors, career communities, a growing number of accelerated bachelor's to master's programs, stronger connections to alumnae, and research opportunities and experiential programs,” said Gallagher Dvorak. “We are differentiating ourselves in the market, and students and parents from all over the country recognize it.”
As higher education continues to change, the College will continue to grow to meet the ever-evolving needs of students. “More students allow us to sustain more academic programs, more student organizations and activities, and more opportunities,” said President Katie Conboy. “They bring more intellectual and social energy to campus, and those opportunities make Saint Mary's more attractive to the next generation of students. It becomes a kind of virtuous circle.”
August 24, 2026