After a record number of applications were submitted to the Institute this past year, the RPI Class of 2012 has shaped up to be a very diverse group of students.
RPI currently has 1,395 students enrolled for the Class of 2012, but this number is expected to drop to a class size of roughly 1,340­­–1,350 students by the start of the semester, according to Director of Undergraduate Admissions Karen Long. This class was chosen from an applicant pool of more than 11,200 students, another record-breaking year for the Institute. This record number is a 10 percent increase over the previous year and is a growth of 100 percent in the past three years. In the past three years, applications have increased more than 300 percent among women and 650 percent among minorities.
“The Class of 2012 is a stellar class and very promising,” remarked Long. The incoming class has again surpassed the previous year’s average SAT scores. The 25th percentile to 75th percentile of last year’s class ranged from 1250-1430, while the Class of 2011’s middle percentile scores ranged from 1270-1410. The same percentage of students as last year, 64 percent, were in the top ten percent of their graduating class.
The Class of 2012 is comprised of approximately 30 percent women, the same ratio as last year. Long remarked, however, that even though the percentage is about the same, the larger size means that the number of women on campus will again increase.
“The incoming Class of 2012 was clearly drawn to Rensselaer by traditional strengths, but also by the expanding curriculum across the university,” said Vice President for Enrollment Jim Nondorf. “While majors in the School of Engineering continue to remain strong, majors in the School of Science, the Lally School, and School of Humanities, Arts, & Social Sciences have seen a significant jump.”
Applications from students interested in science and biotechnology have increased more than 250 percent over the past three years, and those from students interested in the humanities has increased more than 900 percent. Meanwhile, the number of students entering the School of Engineering has declined to allow for a more equal distribution of students, according to Long.
The construction of the East Campus Athletic Village has also caught the attention of prospective students. The Class of 2012 displays an increase in the number of students who participated in varsity athletics.
The Class of 2012 boasts a jump in the number of students who received a perfect 800 on either the Verbal or Math portion of the SAT. 103 students received this distinction, as opposed to the Class of 2011’s 82 students.
In addition, the Class of 2012 promises to bring diverse backgrounds to the Institute. This class has seen a jump in students from outside the Northeast, with about 28 percent of students coming from elsewhere in the country. There has also been a growth of almost 100 percent in international students this year, including students from Kazakhstan, Indonesia, Brazil, Switzerland, and Taiwan. The class also includes more than 150 students from under-represented groups, which according to Nondorf is a record number.
Nondorf said, “The global reach of Rensselaer is having a significant impact on attracting outstanding students from all over the world. Our profile as a top-tier American university will continue to expand opportunities for study abroad and international exchange programs, as well as to internationalize the student body. This year, Rensselaer admitted top students from a diverse array of countries, ranging from Venezuela to Norway.”
“The Rensselaer name is getting out there more and more,” Long said. “Our classes continue to show it.”
“Bottom line: I could not be more happy and excited to meet this extraordinary class this fall,” concluded Nondorf.
