The University of Cincinnati put a little extra flair this year into welcoming its incoming class for fall 2025. On Decision Day, university reps, Bearcat Mascot, and Bearcat Band members dropped in on five students at three Cincinnati area high schools to hand deliver acceptances, scholarships, and a healthy dose of UC swag. This move by UC, complete with cheering and festivities, punctuated an admissions season that reported the most applications ever received by the university, with over 30,000 hopeful Bearcats tossing their names into the hat.
UC's efforts to diversify its ranks seems to be paying off, with applications from Black students and Latinx students up by a respective 20% and 13% says, Jack Miner, UC’s vice provost for enrollment management. The push for inclusivity didn't stop there, as international applications surged by 16%. UC has openly committed to fostering an educated workforce, as evidenced by the fact that they saw a 25% increase in applications from students aspiring to become the first in their family to attend college, according to a UC announcement.
But the surprise face-to-face greetings were only a part of the celebration. The university also sent out personalized welcome videos to each admitted student using AI-generated technology, a first for UC. These videos included personal touches like students' names on the Nippert Stadium scoreboard and tailored messages from the Bearcat cheerleaders. "Over the past few years, we have prided ourselves on the Decision Day surprises at local homes and high schools," Miner told the University of Cincinnati, "But these videos allow us to deliver that same personal connection to all of our new Bearcats."
Some students stood out in the flurry of admissions. Harsh Minhas and Oliver Tiani Vessah, two seniors from Withrow High School, were awarded the Marian Spencer Scholarship, named after the UC alumna and Cincinnati civil rights icon. The scholarship covers everything from tuition and housing to service-learning opportunities, "We are first-generation students," says Nikita Minhas, Harsh's sister and a UC student herself. "He wants to be a cardiologist because he wants to help people. He has specificity for heart patients because they suffer a lot. Treatment is very expensive in the United States and he would like to see that change," she said in a statement obtained by UC News.
The university's embrace did not end with these scholars. Other students across the Cincinnati area received UC’s nod with cash incentives to sweeten the deal. Nick Kolbinsky from La Salle High School and Jamiyah Turnage from North College Hill High School both secured $6,000 scholarships to attend UC. Each of their stories adds a unique thread to the vibrant tapestry of UC's newest class, from Kolbinsky's recognition as a business student of the year to Turnage's resilience and determination as a stand-out student and compassionate individual—all traits highlighted by their teachers and family members in interviews with UC News.
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