It is my privilege to welcome our new students to campus and also to welcome back returning students along with faculty and staff for a fresh academic year.
Chancellor Philip P. DiStefano
To all of our students, know that you have the qualities, skill and potential that can make you successful in your studies and that you belong here. You and the university have found a great fit in each other.
We want all of our studentsÌýto feel welcome from their first moment on campus. We encourage you to be curious; to learn about people from other places, cultures, backgrounds and beliefs; and to actively engage with each other in a respectful manner.
We are greeting more than 6,500 new freshmen to campus. This highly academically qualified class is the most diverse in our history in terms of the number of students identifying as racially or ethnically diverse. Our students are exceptionally well equipped to carry on the Buff legacy of scholarship, citizenship and success.
I’m proud to share a few other compelling characteristics of our new students.
- The Class of 2021 has an average high school grade point average of 3.65.
- Almost a third of the new class earned career high school GPAs of 4.0. or higher.
- Preliminary numbers tell us we have more than 300 new international freshmen from 45 countries, with the majority joining us from China.
- Our new students come from high schools large and small, from Allen High School in Texas with a graduating class of more than 1,400, to tiny Arickaree High School in Colorado with a graduating class of 10.
We also have more than 1,400 well-prepared transfer students who are also new to campus from a wide range of institutions in Colorado and across the United States.
One of our greatest assets is that we share a campus characterized by diversity in all forms, which gives us the opportunity to learn from our many perspectives, cultures and backgrounds.
No matter where you are from, who you are,Ìýor what you believe, we are glad you are here and part of the Buff community. Know that we are here to support you.
Together, new and returning students, faculty and staff can ensure ¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ Boulder is a model for universities across the nation in creating a vibrant, welcoming and engaging environment for all.
I’m looking forward to a great year.
Go Buffs!
Philip P. DiStefano
Chancellor
