The 2016-2017 Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology freshman class will see a record-breaking number of female students.

Early enrollment statistics for the 2016-17 school year reveal that 172 females will make up 30.4 percent of the 565 incoming freshman students. This number tops the previous year’s then-record enrollment by 40 students.

“The new record-breaking number of female students enrolling to Rose-Hulman is a tribute to the institute’s environment of excellence and these students seeing themselves being a perfect fit for our campus,” says Jim Goecker, vice president for enrollment and strategic communications. “Young women are increasingly aware of the excellent career opportunities and lifestyles afforded by a STEM education. They also appreciate how STEM professions can make a significant difference in society.”

This record enrollment is a result of special efforts made by the university and it’s students to increase female enrollment. One campaign, “Future Faces of STEM” showcased females majoring in science, engineering, and mathematics on campus while a group of female students formed the Women of Like Fields Passionate About Computing (WOLF PAC). This organization, which now boasts over 40 members, aims to support and encourage more females to study computer science, software engineering, computer engineering, and electrical engineering. These special efforts led to Rose Hulman Institute of Technology being identified among “Colleges where female STEM students flourish by MarketWatch.

This fall, female students are expected to make up the following demographics of Rose-Hulman’s 2016-17 freshman class:

  • 34.6% of incoming computer science majors
  • 30.6% of physics, engineering physics, and optical engineering majors
  • 58% of biomedical engineering majors
  • 36% of chemical engineering majors

These numbers are favorable when considering a 2015 report by the National Science Foundation that shows women receive only 18.2 percent of bachelor’s degrees awarded annually in computer science, 19.2 percent in engineering, and 19.1 percent in physics.

TechPoint works closely with Rose-Hulman for its talent programs. This year, two female students from Rose-Hulman are participating in our college-to-career programs.

Brown_CIRCLETechPoint’s 2016 Class of Xterns includes Brook Brown, a second year Xtern, who will return to Rose-Hulman at the end of the summer to complete her undergraduate degree in Computer Science. She’s spending her 10-week internship as an Engineering intern at hc1.com and is originally from Terre Haute, Indiana.

Fink_CIRCLEAlexis Fink studied computer science and software engineering at Rose-Hulman and recently joined the IndyX Tech Fellowship after graduating in May 2016. For her two-year post-graduate experience, she will be working at PAN, an education and HR technology company located in Indianapolis.

“I am so pleased that more female students are choosing to join us at Rose-Hulman,” says Valerie Galluzzi, Assistant Professor of Computer Science and Software Engineering and Advisor to the WOLF PAC group. “This year’s enrollment statistics make me hopeful that we can look forward to the numbers getting even better in the future. These fall enrollments will put us above the national average for female students enrolled in several STEM fields at U.S. colleges and universities.”