The class is expected to be among the most talented and diverse in Rensselaer’s history. Average SAT scores for the new first-year students are up almost 20 points from the previous year, and more than 65 percent of incoming freshmen ranked in the top 10 percent of their high school class. Approximately 400 women make up the Class of 2011.

Twenty-four percent of incoming students hail from outside the Northeast, and there has been a 37 percent increase in enrolled international students, who have come to Rensselaer this year from the Bahamas, China, Denmark, Ecuador, India, South Korea, Taiwan, and Thailand.

Rensselaer’s First-Year Experience (FYE) program, which runs Navigating Rensselaer & Beyond, was recently highlighted by U.S.News & World Report as a “Program To Look For.” Aimed at encouraging students to build meaningful bonds that will sustain them through four years, FYE includes programs such as the Tuesday Night Toolbox student success series, residence hall programming, and various academic student support initiatives.