Babson Undergraduate Applications Exceed 6,000; Record Number Is 10% Gain Over Previous Year

WELLESLEY, Mass., Jan. 25, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Babson College, the top-ranked school for entrepreneurship, reports that more than 6,000 prospective students have submitted applications to the freshman class entering in the fall 2013, a 10% increase from last year's high of 5,511 first-year applicants.

During the past five years, undergraduate applications to Babson have increased by more than 40%.

"Despite the significant economic challenges of the past five years, applications and enrollments at Babson have continued to increase significantly," said Grant M. Gosselin, Vice President of Enrollment and Dean of Admissions, "Families are willing to invest in a Babson education largely because of the long-term value they see."

Babson's four-year graduation rate ranks among the best in the nation, 99% of 2012 Babson graduates were employed within six months of graduation, and Babson is tied for #8 in the nation for mid-career salary of graduates in Payscale's College Salary Report.

Babson is a need-blind institution and last year, 96% of students' total need was met.

Other significant trends in Babson's application pool:

* 39% of applicants applied early versus just 31% in 2008.

* Babson has become one of the most richly diverse colleges in the nation. 30% of applicants are international citizens and 29% are domestic students of color versus 2008 figures of 24% and 26% respectively.

* This year's applicants to Babson come from 48 US states, three US territories, and 115 nations.

Babson College is the educator, convener, and thought leader for Entrepreneurship of All Kinds(tm). The College is a dynamic living and learning laboratory, where students, faculty, and staff work together to address the real-world problems of business and society -- while at the same time evolving our methods and advancing our programs. We shape the 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 create economic and social value. As we have for nearly a half-century, Babson continues to advance Entrepreneurial Thought and Action(r) as the most positive force on the planet for generating sustainable economic and social value. For information, visit www.babson.edu.

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SOURCE Babson College