General Clark, acting superintendent, told the Board of Visitors Executive Committee that the institute’s 2026 incoming class matriculated at 471 cadets, down from the 500 cadets budgeted — a shortfall of 29. "We had a 1,710 appointments. We're told that that generated 471 matriculants, an acceptance rate of 71%, and the yield rate of 28%," Clark said. He added that the class profile included a 3.6 average high‑school GPA and transfer GPA of 3.2, and that matriculants came from 33 states and eight countries.

The superintendent and admissions staff described a marked increase in what they called "summer melt" and late cancellations. Clark said 568 students made deposits early in the cycle but that a rise in cancellations, medical disqualifications and some students enlisting contributed to the reduced matriculation. "We typically have 3 or 4" medical turndowns, he said, "but we had some that, late into the summer, injuries that occurred with cadets" — including one who arrived with a torn ACL and could not matriculate.

Admissions director Shannon (recruiting director) told the committee the next recruiting cycle was "starting off strong" but acknowledged work is needed in some majors and demographic channels. Clark said the institute also "did lose the roughly 23 Army ROTC scholarships," and staff are assessing the effect of that reduction on the mix of incoming cadets. The committee discussed enlistments and financial incentives in recruiting; a board member said the Post‑9/11 GI Bill and enlistment bonuses can make direct enlistment attractive for students from lower‑income families.

On the budget consequences, Clark said the institute began the year with tuition held flat and that decision produced a $775,000 deficit for fiscal 2026. He said the enrollment shortfall between the budgeted 500 and the actual 471 creates an additional funding gap that the institute estimates at about $1.7 million. "We have that $775,000 deficit," Clark said, "and the differential between the 471 to 500 is roughly about, call it a million dollars. We'll see what the final shakeout is with in state, out of state mix ... we're essentially beginning the year with needing to make up and find $1,700,000." Clark said the institute will have a clearer enrollment picture after the census date next week and will present more detailed budget work to the Audit, Finance and Planning Committee.

The committee discussed options to reduce melt and recover yield, including expanding the "call to duty" program to help cover first‑year costs for cadets with three‑year scholarships, staffing adjustments in recruiting, targeted outreach in underrepresented majors (English, applied math, modern languages and cultures), and increased alumni engagement for recruitment. Clark said the K‑det Club had pledged roughly $125,000 toward a separate set of recruitment/retention awards (the Allston Awards) that the athletics office is developing.

Discussion — not formal board action — focused on analysis and next steps. Clark said staff would return to the full board in the fall with more detailed census‑date information and financial scenarios. The executive committee did not adopt any new tuition or enrollment policy at this meeting.