Kenyon accepted 34 percent of its 6,662 applicants for the class of 2023, according to Diane Anci, vice president for enrollment and dean of admissions and financial aid. The pool was the second largest in the College’s history and continues a three-year upward trend. 

Anci said that the enrollment of 488 first years and 10 transfer students was on target for her expectations. Last year, 539 first years enrolled from an applicant pool of 6,152. The acceptance rate was 36 percent.

The new class hails from 38 states and 25 countries, and graduated from 406 different high schools. The top three states were Ohio, with 57 enrolls, California, with 50 enrolls, and New York, with 47 enrolls. 11 percent are international students, most of whom “come from a non-white, non-Western background,” according to Anci.

20 percent of the class of 2023 are domestic students of color. Eight percent are the first in their family to attend college, and another eight percent are legacy students. The Kenyon Educational Enrichment Program (KEEP) gained 22 first years this summer, and the STEM Scholar program gained 13.

The first year class’s average weighted high school GPA was 3.9. They took an average of five AP classes. Their average ACT score was 30.8. On the SAT, the average student scored 684 on the verbal section and 680 on the math section.

The class of 2023 was also busy outside of the classroom: 85 percent participated in athletics, 74 percent did community service, 50 percent worked and 17 percent held internships. 64 percent were involved in theater and 21 percent in visual arts.

“Kenyon is extraordinarily lucky to have what in my world we refer to as a self-selecting applicant pool,” Anci said. “Students who apply to Kenyon are typically individuals who understand well those things we value here. They value place—they value this place. They value relationships: the kind of relationships you have with faculty and peers. They value the spoken and written word. They value rigor, and they absolutely value community.”