February 2, 2021
A total of 902 students have applied for admission to the Olin Class of 2025, nearly matching last year’s 910 applicants. This year’s pool includes slight increases in international students, and first-generation college students, at 15 percent and 14 percent respectively.
In addition, domestic students of color matched last year’s record high of 42 percent of the applicant pool.
Given the constraints on traditional recruitment efforts due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this is a positive outcome for Olin. In addition, the customarily high academic quality of the College’s applicant pool remains excellent this year.
“I am so proud of the Admission and Financial Aid team, all of our student volunteers, and our two student social media interns, Walter Villa ’23 and Moisés Sabido García ’24, who pivoted to an all-virtual recruitment for the Class of 2025. It is their hard work that allowed Olin to maintain a fantastic and diverse pool of applicants. Based on the applications I have been reading, I am confident the Class of 2025 will prove to be another unique, collaborative and impactful group of students,” said Emily Roper-Doten, Dean of Admission and Financial Aid.
Olin students work together on a puzzle project during Candidates' Weekend in 2020.
Applicants’ hometowns span the globe; the top U.S. states represented include California, Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey and Texas. The top six overseas applicant locations are India, South Korea, China, Brazil, Ghana and Nigeria.
Approximately 275 students will be invited to participate in the second phase of Olin’s unique admission process, Candidates’ Week—held virtually this year from February 26 and March 7—with the goal of a class size of 86 students for the Class of 2025.
Olin’s customary in-person Candidates’ Weekends will shift to a virtual Candidates’ Week to meet the challenges presented by COVID-19. All appropriate programs will be recorded and shared with Candidates who may not be able to attend a particular event live.
While it is difficult to replace the magic of the in-person Candidates’ Weekend, the Olin community is stepping up to make the virtual Candidates’ Week spectacular. For her very first Candidates’ Week, President Barabino will hold fireside chats with the Candidates and a panel for parents. Candidates will have the opportunity to participate virtually in many signature Candidates’ Weekends programs such as the Design Challenge- created by the CW co-curricular participants, Academic Chats and the Story Slam as well new events created especially for the new format. All Candidates will participate in redesigned evaluative interviews to inform the final admission decisions.