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Posted August 29, 2016
Class of 2020, New Students, Welcome Week, Student Success

20 facts about the Class of 2020

The record-breaking class of freshman and new transfer students will keep Temple’s momentum going.

 
Three students from the Class of 2020 at the Welcome Week barbecue.
Photography By: 
Ryan Brandenberg
Members of the Class of 2020—which is expected to be Temple’s largest and most academically accomplished—celebrate at the new student BBQ on Temple's Main Campus.

With the start of the new academic year, Temple welcomes another class to the university’s ranks. And like previous years, this incoming class—known as the Class of 2020—is already breaking records before they’ve begun taking classes.

The university received its largest-ever number of freshman applications for a space in the class, which is expected to set records for overall size and academic strength.

These go-getters were drawn to Temple from places near and far and for a variety of reasons. Daniel Kim, an engineering major from Sejong, South Korea, chose Temple because of rave reviews.

“People said they loved it,” he said. And his experience so far has lived up to his expectations. “I’m excited about my college career.”

Meet some Owls from the Class of 2020.

  • A man in a white t-shirt standing outside on Temple's Main Campus.
    Daniel Kim, an engineering major from Sejong, South Korea, chose Temple because of rave reviews.
  • Three women standing near the Bell Tower on Temple's Main Campus.
    Briyana Johnson (left), is a computer science major from Long Island, New York, chose Temple for its urban environment. She is excited to have the City of Philadelphia as a learning environment. Leah Horton (center), is a biology major from Washington, D.C. She was drawn to Temple because of the diversity and energy on campus. Tracy Lazeale (right), a biology major from New Jersey, said Temple is her "dream school."
  • A man at the new student BBQ on Temple's Main Campus.
    Scott Peacock, who is currently undeclared but leaning toward a finance major, came to Temple from D.C. because of a strong financial aid package. He sees Temple and Philadelphia as a great place for networking—and his parents like that it's not too far from home.
  • A woman smiling at the new student BBQ on Temple's Main Campus.
    Claire Garland, a new SMC student from Hershey, Pennsylvania (Dauphin County), chose Temple because of the atmosphere she experienced during a campus visit. “It’s very lively,” she said. “Not all campuses are like that.”
  • A man wearing glasses and smiling at the new student BBQ on Main Campus.
    Vinicius Costa, an engineering major from Brazil, is one of Temple’s newest international students. He came to Temple sight unseen, but felt it would be a good fit because of the university’s diversity, the engineering program and the research opportunities that are available to students.

Final stats on the new students will be available mid-September. But for now, here are 20 fun facts about the Class of 2020 (all numbers are based on the most recently available data).

  1. The projected number of freshmen in the Class of 2020 is about 5,100, a university record.

  2. The number of applications Temple received to fill those freshman spots? 34,512. That’s a record high and 15 percent higher than last year, the previous record.

  3. Another record: The average freshman high school GPA is 3.56.

  4. The average freshman SAT score is 1170, also a record.

  5. And yet another Temple record: The projected number of freshmen in Temple’s Honors Program is 750.

  6. The projected number of transfer students is about 2,400.

  7. Talk about legacy: About 435 freshmen and 85 transfer students have at least one parent who’s a Temple graduate.

  8. About 335 freshmen and 150 transfer students are international.

  9. First-year and transfer students represent 65 countries.

  10. Freshmen and transfers come from 59 of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties.

  11. New Temple students represent 46 states. 

  12. The oldest member of the Class of 2020 is 59 years old.

  13. The youngest registered new student is 15 years old.

  14. There are 30 sets of twins and one set of triplets among freshmen and transfers.

  15. Matthew (97) and Emily (87) are the most common first names among freshmen and transfers.

  16. The most common last names: Nguyen (70), Patel (64) and Smith (46).

  17. Fifty-nine students have 20 letters in their first and last names combined, making them perfect additions to the Class of 2020.

  18. Thirteen freshmen and transfers share a birthday, Dec. 13, with Temple’s Acting President Richard M. Englert.

  19. Twenty-six students share a birthday, Feb. 15, with Russell Conwell, Temple’s founder.

  20. Five students have the word “Owl” somewhere in their names.

Anonymous