Newswise — This week, Babson College welcomes the undergraduate Class of 2019 to campus. The Class of 2019 is noteworthy, not only because it's Babson's Centennial class, but because of these impressive numbers:

* First-year applications reached 7,515—the highest application total Babson has ever received. Applications rose 21 percent from the year before.

* The Class of 2019 has the highest SAT averages in Babson history: -- SAT averages for enrolling first-years are 1933/1295 (1909/1282 in 2014) -- SAT averages for admitted students were 2008/1340 (2000/1337 in 2014) -- SAT averages for applicants were 1855/1247 (1843/1238 in 2014)

* The Class of 2019 is 54 percent female, making it the first majority female class in Babson’s history. Babson was founded in 1919 as an all-male college and did not admit women until 1969. Female enrollment is up from 47 percent in 2014.

* Babson’s admission process remains highly selective with an acceptance rate of 26 percent—the lowest acceptance rate in Babson’s history.

“Clearly, interest in a Babson education has never been higher, nor our institutional reputation more well regarded,” said Babson College President Kerry Healey.

“Applications have soared, our applicants’ academic profile is robust and diverse, and as Babson’s first female president, I am also thrilled to welcome our first majority female class.”

Additional Enrollment Information

* Thirty percent of enrolling first-year students are domestic minority students.

* Twenty-five percent of the class is international, with students representing 45 nations around the world.

* Sixteen percent of students will be the first in their family to attend college.

* The first cohort of Global Scholars has arrived from Brazil, Hungary, Egypt, Pakistan, Kosovo, Georgia, Rwanda, Morocco, Kenya, and Turkey. This need-based scholarship program for international students contributes to the College’s expanding diversity and adds to the global collaboration that is the Babson campus.

* Seventy-one percent of the class comes from outside New England, hailing from 33 U.S. states and territories, including Nevada, Wyoming, and Montana.

* This year, Babson has awarded $8.9 million in institutional grants and scholarships to enrolling first-year students. The Class of 2019 includes four Weissman Scholars, 20 Presidential Scholars, 22 CWEL Scholars, 14 Diversity Leadership Award recipients, 11 Posse Scholars, two Enrico Scholars, two Sorenson Arts Scholars, and one recipient each of the Baldwin Richardson, Blank, and DECA scholarships.

About Babson College

Babson College is the educator, convener, and thought leader for Entrepreneurship of All Kinds​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​®. The top-ranked college for entrepreneurship education, Babson is a dynamic living and learning laboratory where students, faculty, and staff work together to address the real-world problems of business and society. We prepare the entrepreneurial leaders our world needs most: those with strong functional knowledge and the skills and vision to navigate change, accommodate ambiguity, surmount complexity, and motivate teams in a common purpose to make a difference in the world, and have an impact on organizations of all sizes and types. As we have for nearly a half-century, Babson continues to advance Entrepreneurial Thought and Action​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​® as the most positive force on the planet for generating sustainable economic and social value. ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Visit www.babson.edu.

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