Gifted early decision class admitted

Photo by Ashleigh Bunch

Early action (EA) decisions were released over the weekend with 4,380 students offered admission to the Class of 2021.

“We’re constantly amazed by just how talented our applicants are,” said Rick Clark, director of Undergraduate Admissions.

“One of the things we focus on is the idea of who we are as an institution. More than just getting great students, we want students from all over the world who are going to push and challenge each other.”

The number of EA applications for the Class of 2021 went up almost six percent from last year, with 15,715 students applying for admission this year compared to last year’s record-breaking 14,861. The EA acceptance rate went down by two percent this year, with only 28 percent of applicants gaining acceptance to the Institute.

This year, Tech introduced a Bachelor of Science in Music Technology, and Director Clark hopes that this type of innovation and academic diversity encourages students from across the academic spectrum to consider Tech.

“Tech has turned a corner in the last ten years. We’ve ratcheted to a whole new level in terms of quality and recognition,” Clark said. “While we’ve definitely excelled in engineering and the sciences, one of the things that will define us going forward is how well we can balance our traditional subjects with newer, less well-known ones.”

Tech’s EA policy is non-binding and allows students to explore their options. This differs from Early Decision (ED), which binds a student to a school should they gain acceptance. The admission process is holistic in that it considers the applicant as a whole individual rather than select parts such as test scores, GPA and
extracurricular activities.

A unique aspect of the Tech admissions process incorporates Tech’s motto.

“Our motto — ‘Progress and Service’ — is something we take seriously here at admissions,” Clark said. “We want to know what our applicants are passionate about and what
drives them. It’s something, especially in the last few years, that we’ve put a whole different emphasis on. We’re always asking ourselves: what type of students are we trying to get?

“We want students who are going to come [to Tech] and challenge not only themselves but also push the people around them.”

Decisions for applicants who applied for the Regular Decision cycle will be released March 11.

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