Scranton Welcomes Diverse Class

This past fall, the University welcomed the most diverse class in the history of the school, with 285 members of its Class of 2026 identifying as students of color, representing nearly 27 percent of its incoming class. Scranton also welcomed its largest degree-seeking, graduate international student cohort in the last 15 years, with more than 60 new graduate degree-seeking international students. Incoming students included:

• More than 1,060 members in the undergraduate Class of 2026, one of the largest in Scranton’s history

• Nearly 50 transfer students

• Nearly 275 graduate students, both on-campus and online

The undergraduate class, selected from a pool of more than 9,525 applicants, includes more than 30 percent identifying as first-generation college students.

In addition to the undergraduate Class of 2026, the University’s incoming graduate students represent several states and foreign countries, including the Czech Republic, India, Ethiopia, Ghana, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and South Korea.

Student from Ukraine Joins Royal Community

Eighteen-year-old Serhii Kuzmin Jr., from Kharkiv, Ukraine, arrived on the campus as a member of the Class of 2026.

A computer science major, Kuzmin completed his high school studies in Ukraine in 2021 and spent a gap year searching for a school in the United States to fulfill his dream of attending college in America. He found a fit to cultivate his love of philosophy grounded within a Catholic tradition at The University of Scranton.

Then, he was awakened by loud noises in the early morning hours of Feb. 24. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine had begun and everything else stopped.

Days, then weeks, passed with safety as the primary focus for he and his parents. They were able to secure documents verifying Serhii’s exemption from military service and other permissions needed to leave Ukraine. Then, they attained refugee status in Germany and made safe passage there.

With access to the internet and encouragement from his parents, Kuzmin renewed his plans to pursue his dream of attending college in the United States. He regained contact with Stacey Urgento, assistant director of graduate admissions at the University, who was able to confirm his admittance to Scranton’s Class of 2026 and that the University would be able to provide financial assistance to cover his education expenses.

Intelligent, self-motivated and resilient, Kuzmin continues to move forward with his life and his mission to tell others of the awful realities of the senseless destruction of the war in Ukraine. “I hope that by talking about how this war destroyed villages and towns, and killed, hurt and damaged the lives of so many people, maybe in the future, people will be more reasonable and peaceful and others will not have to go through what we experienced,” he said.

Serhii Kuzmin Jr. ’26, from Kharkiv, Ukraine.