Institute admits 1,533 students to the Class of 2011

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has welcomed 1,533 freshmen for the Class of 2011, marking a significant change in admissions. This year saw a higher number of applicants and a larger freshman class compared to previous years. Specifically, the number of applicants reached 12,443, with a record-low acceptance rate of 12 percent, down slightly from the 13 percent seen in 2006. The incoming class size is 1,020, up from 1,005 in the previous year.

Dean of Admissions, Marilee Jones, noted, “It was very, very hard to select such a small number of students from such a large and stellar applicant pool.” Despite the tough selection process, the admissions office anticipates a consistent yield rate of 66.5 percent, allowing them to admit 10 out of the 519 students on the waitlist. Of the admitted students, 48 percent are women and 21 percent are underrepresented minorities.

Among the admitted students, 49 percent are valedictorians, and 90 percent rank in the top five percent of their high school classes. These statistics reflect a diverse and academically exceptional group of students. Last year, the acceptance rate was nearly 26 percent for women and 10 percent for men, indicating a significant shift in gender balance over the past few years. The overall acceptance rate in 2006 was 13 percent, with male applicants outnumbering female applicants nearly three-to-one.

MIT does not set quotas for male or female students but enforces a quota for international students, limiting them to 8 percent of the incoming class. Since the 1970s, the percentage of female students at MIT has steadily increased, reaching 39 percent by 1998 when Jones became dean of admissions. The Class of 2010, which entered in the fall of 2006, was 45 percent female, further highlighting the ongoing efforts to promote gender diversity.

Regarding recruitment strategies, Jones emphasized the importance of attracting individuals from various backgrounds to solve global problems. She highlighted MIT’s efforts to contact target students with strong standardized test scores to ensure a diverse student body. Jones serves on the Enrollment Management Group, a committee focused on undergraduate education, which recently recommended increasing the incoming class size. While there was a modest increase this year, a larger increase is anticipated following the conversion of Ashdown House into an undergraduate residence to minimize overcrowding.

A version of this article originally appeared in MIT Tech Talk on April 4, 2007, and can be accessed here.

News is prepared from public university announcements for general guidance. Policies change frequently; confirm current details with each university admissions office.