This year, we are excited to welcome 56 new students into our undergraduate minor program, including five students who are pursuing this program in their final year of study at the University.

After major growth in the size of the pool, we received 120 applications for 56 seats in this year’s class, about a 47% admittance rate; this is a change from the 70% admittance rate the year before. This year, we brought in students from across the country, including Ohio, Texas, and Florida, as well as students with primary or dual citizenship to three countries. First generation students make up 14% of our class, marking the continual progress of increasing first-generation representation at Batten. Minority students comprise over a third of the class, and women comprise three-quarters of the program.

We admitted students with GPAs that ranged from 2.69 to 4.0, with an average class GPA of 3.5. Students were active in a variety of CIOs and organizations (including the Blueprint Leadership Program, Madison House, Indian Student Association, Cavalier Daily, and Cavs in the Classroom), undergraduate research, and part-time positions across Grounds. Students from the minor are majoring in the Engineering School, the McIntire School, and the College, in majors ranging from Medical Anthropology to Environmental Science to Media Studies.

Together, our differences make us stronger. Together, we are Batten. We look forward to bringing in the next group of committed policy leaders in the months to come!