DURHAM, N.H.—The University of New Hampshire will welcome its highest-achieving incoming freshman class ever this fall. The class of 2027 will arrive with the highest average GPA, largest number of merit scholarships and greatest number of students ranked in the top 10% of their high school classes.

“Bringing in a class of this caliber is something we can all be proud of and it’s a testament to the talent and character of the students, as well as the tireless work of everyone to help them find their best fit here,” said President Jim Dean. “These students will continue to illustrate that UNH is a place that offers an invaluable educational experience and we can’t wait to see the incredible things these students will accomplish here.”

The incoming class was selected with an emphasis on ensuring that students are positioned to succeed at UNH and beyond. The new students will have access to a large number of experiential opportunities beginning in their first year, all of which help sustain UNH’s strong job placement rates. In 2021, 94% of grads found employment or furthered their education and 86% earned jobs in fields related to their major. 54% of those graduates currently live and work in New Hampshire which aligns with President Dean’s priority to help continue to fuel the state’s evolving workforce needs.

The new class of undergraduates boasts a 3.66 average GPA—compared to a 3.35 GPA when the class of 2013 arrived - and includes seven valedictorians and 259 honors students.

The first-year students will also represent a wide diversity of backgrounds and situations. More than one-in-five students are considered first-generation or are the first in their family to attend college. Class members come from 43 states and 14 countries and include 10 veterans and 72 athletes.

These students will also benefit from a host of new offerings focused on improving the student experience by enhancing overall wellbeing. Among several new initiatives are a robust residence life curriculum and the new Institute for Student Success, designed to holistically guide students through the transition to UNH and offer ongoing support throughout their journey. UNH has also invested in additional mental health counseling services as well as additional professional academic advisors to better individualize the guidance available to each student.

The University of New Hampshire inspires innovation and transforms lives in our state, nation and world. More than 16,000 students from all 50 states and 71 countries engage with an award-winning faculty in top-ranked programs in business, engineering, law, health and human services, liberal arts and the sciences across more than 200 programs of study. A Carnegie Classification R1 institution, UNH partners with NASA, NOAA, NSF and NIH, and received $260 million in competitive external funding in FY21 to further explore and define the frontiers of land, sea and space.