Admitted Students Weekend Returns to NYU Shanghai

Last weekend’s two-day Admitted Student Weekend welcomed 23 international admitted students and 15 parents to visit NYU Shanghai and get a first hand experience of what it’s like to be a student here. This was the first Admitted Students Weekend held at NYU Shanghai since 2019, as well as the first held at the New Bund campus. 

The Office of Admissions said that 2,421 students around the world have received admission offers for the Class of 2028. This year’s admitted international students were selected from a pool of more than 18,000 international applicants, an increase of 7% from last year’s applicant pool. This year’s admitted students come from 98 countries and regions, an increase of 17% over the previous year. International students, including students from the US, will ultimately represent about half of the enrolled Class of 2028. About 25% of the admitted international students will be first-generation college students. 

_{Admissions Ambassador Nigel Dai ’26 leading a tour} 

The students and their families who visited for Admitted Students Weekend came from all over the world, including the US, Mongolia, the Philippines, South Korea, Romania, and Japan, for two days of activities both on and off campus. Student volunteers accompanied the visiting admitted students every step of the way, guiding them to each activity and sharing their own experiences. The admitted students got a chance to get to know the ambassadors, but also to form connections with other admitted students. 

Senior Assistant Director of Admissions Juan Roldan said that while not every admitted international student is able to make the trip to Shanghai, the weekend allows those that can to get a feel for the city of Shanghai and NYU Shanghai’s community and culture. “We want to give space to students to be able to really engage and understand what attending NYU Shanghai could be like,” he explained. 

_{Left: Admissions Ambassador Mattis Nurit ’26 showing admitted students around the dorms. Right: Admissions Ambassador AJ Noble ’26 showing off the Center for Career Development}

Students met with Chancellor Tong Shijun, Vice Chancellor Jeffrey Lehman, and Provost Joanna Waley-Cohen and had the opportunity to sit in on a class with NYU Shanghai faculty, tour campus, and visit student dormitories. Students attended panels where they had a chance to ask questions about student support and student life. For the first time, there was also programming for parents, including a panel discussion of current NYU Shanghai parents sharing their experiences. The visitors also enjoyed the opportunity to see a bit of Shanghai, touring Yu Gardens and other iconic landmarks, and sampling Shanghai’s culinary delights. 

In his talk with the admitted students and their families, Chancellor Tong spoke of NYU Shanghai’s unique academic culture. “Students will experience an open, inclusive, and diverse academic atmosphere, encouraging them to explore the boundaries of knowledge and innovate boldly,” he promised them. 

Vice Chancellor Lehman told the admitted students that being part of such a global and diverse student body will benefit them for their entire lives. “NYU Shanghai provides you with just off-the-charts brilliant classmates,” he said. “We need everybody who's here to be committed to engaging fully with this opportunity, making this incredible transformation for yourselves and also for your classmates in exchange.”

Provost Joanna Waley-Cohen spoke to the students about the unique experience of attending university in Shanghai. “It's a place where you can walk literally from the past into the future in the space of a city block,” she said. “The chance to come to NYU Shanghai is a chance that you might never otherwise get. You'll be able to take advantage of service learning opportunities in which you learn about and give back to the community. At the end of four years, you'll come out not only with a liberal arts education and a major under your belt, but also having become comfortable functioning in both Chinese and English.”

Munkh-Anu Nyamdorj, a student from Mongolia interested in computer science, joined the weekend’s events with her parents. “I was able to learn things about the school you can’t from online and made friends I will cherish,” she said. “I’m grateful for the coordinators and the amazing students who were able to give us a thorough tour of the university, and I am really looking forward to starting my studies in NYU Shanghai.”