The University of Virginia welcomed the first members of the Class of 2026 on Friday evening, delivering admittance notifications to 1,109 of the students who applied in UVA’s early decision admission cycle.

Nearly 3,500 students applied through the early decision admission process, in which applicants agree to accept their admissions offers in exchange for early notification.

Among the newest members of the Class of 2026 are 15 Questbridge scholars. Questbridge is a national nonprofit that connects high-achieving, low-income students to universities around the country, providing full tuition and fees for students.

UVA also partners with the Posse Foundation, which identifies, recruits and trains high school students with exceptional leadership potential. It enrolled 31 such students in the early decision cycle.

The total number of admitted first-generation students admitted through the early decision cycle increased by 68%, over last year, from 76 to 128.

This year’s overall early decision offer rate was 32%. The admitted students come from 44 U.S. states and 15 foreign countries.

Students who applied in the early action cycle – in which applicants who met an earlier application deadline are not bound to accept their admissions offers – will be notified in mid-February, and those who apply through the regular decision cycle, which has a Jan. 1 application deadline, will be notified by April 1.

“This is the largest, deepest and most diverse early decision applicant pool we have ever seen. The students who applied this year are nothing short of remarkable,” Greg Roberts, UVA’s dean of admission, said. “In this intensely competitive admission review, we do our best to make sure each and every applicant receives a thorough and thoughtful evaluation. While unfortunately we cannot offer admission to every qualified applicant, we are grateful to the students for their interest in UVA and their faith in the admission team.”

UVA’s newest Wahoos excitedly took to social media Friday evening to share their happy news.