Washington College welcomes 417 freshmen to campus this week to begin classes on Monday, Aug. 29, as well as 34 transfer students. Hailing from 31 states and nine countries, the students making up the freshmen of the Class of 2020 reflect one of the most diverse and academically strong classes ever enrolled at Washington College.

“The secret about Washington College is getting out,” says Cindy Childs, interim vice president of Enrollment Management. “We are no longer a best-kept secret, rather, a top choice among college applicants nationwide.”

The number of enrolling students this fall is up 47 from last year’s incoming students, and among the freshmen, nearly 23.6 percent represent minorities. This brings minority enrollment campus-wide to 15.5 percent, up from 12.8 percent last year.

Among the freshmen that comprise the Class of 2020, the average GPA is 3.6, and 38 percent are National Honor Society members. Thirty-eight percent of the freshmen are from Maryland, while the College’s enrollment team continued to work to broaden the class beyond the mid-Atlantic. Eleven students are from California, one from Alaska, 10 from Florida, two from Texas, and 4.6 percent of the incoming class are international students.

The class also includes the inaugural group of 16 George’s Brigade students, part of President Sheila Bair’s initiative, announced at her inauguration last September, to provide full tuition, fees, room, and board to high-achieving, high-need, first-generation students. In less than a year, President Bair has raised $4 million from donors for this effort, $2.85 million of which is endowed.

The top areas of academic interest for the new class are business management, biology, pre-med, psychology, political science, environmental science and studies, English, economics, and international studies.