Meet the Class of 2026

The Class of 2026 is preparing to start their journey at Augusta University, with many moving in this week. But who are these students?

Generation Z

Nearly all students in the Class of 2026 are part of Generation Z, meaning most were born between 1997 and 2012. Gen Z is the most racially and ethnically diverse generation in American history, and may eventually supersede Millennials as the most educated generation.

“Zoomers” are digital natives, with most born after the launch of Google.

Names and hometowns

The Class of 2026 comes to Augusta from all over the U.S., as well as 16 countries. One student hails from over 4,400 miles away in Anchorage, Alaska.

The most common first names are Madison (12 students) and Emily (10 students), and the most common surnames are Patel (19 students), Johnson (13 students), Williams (13 students) and Smith (10 students).

Most popular freshman majors

Science and health care majors are most popular among the Class of 2026, with biology, pre-nursing and cell and molecular biology leading.

Business administration (67 students) and psychology (58 students) were also popular choices.

Popular alma maters

The local school bringing in the largest freshman enrollment is Lakeside High School in Evans, Georgia (83 students).

The non-local school with the largest freshman enrollment is Brookwood High School in Snellville, Georgia — part of suburban Atlanta (20 students).