A total of 1,458 new students started the 2026-27 academic year at Elmhurst University,  including 605 traditional first-year students, one of the larger classes in University history.

Members of the first-year class also are academically accomplished and well-rounded. They entered with an average high school GPA of 3.70, the highest to date for first-year students. And 29 percent of the fall class are student-athletes—while a majority hail from the Chicago area, 41 percent are from out-of-state.

Among all out-of-state first-year students, the highest number aren’t from any of Illinois’ bordering states, but from Texas, which sent 12 students, followed by California with nine. Meanwhile, almost 70 percent of the campus’s new transfer students come from a Chicago-area community college, most from College of DuPage.

Nearly 58 percent of Elmhurst’s first-year students identify as first-generation college students. This fall, the University launched several initiatives to further support their success, including the Bluejay First program, which provides workshops, resources, mentoring and guidance specifically for first-generation students; and increasing communication and engagement with parents and families. Earlier this year, Elmhurst was selected by the nonprofit FirstGen Forward to join a national network of institutions committed to fostering success among first-generation students. And according to the latest U.S. News & World Report college rankings, Elmhurst ranks No. 7 in the Midwest as a Top Performer for Social Mobility, reflecting its strength in supporting and graduating first-generation and economically disadvantaged students.

“First-generation students choose Elmhurst because they believe they can succeed here, and we have a responsibility to make sure they do,” said Elmhurst University President Troy D. VanAken.

Elmhurst’s commitment to first-generation students extends to the University’s commitment to maintaining an academic environment where all students can thrive, President VanAken added. Along with returning students, the University’s total fall enrollment is 3,823.

“We believe deeply that higher education should open doors. It should improve and change lives. And it should give talented students the opportunity to achieve things they may not have believed were possible,” he said.