They were born in 1995, and they have never had the chicken pox. Getting a cell phone and a Skype account were bigger milestones than a driver’s license and a car. They have always been able to plug into USB ports, and they’ve never needed directions—just an address.* The class of 2017 reported Saturday, Aug. 17, 781 cadets strong—the largest class in 56 years—to begin their four-year leadership journey.
This year marks the seventh consecutive year that the military college has matriculated more than 700 freshmen, and with 2,958 applications, it is the fifth year the college has broken all previous application records. Here’s a closer look at the Class of 2017:
Total applications
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2,958
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Total matriculants
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781
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U.S. States represented
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40
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Top 9 states
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S.C., N.C., Ga., Fla., Va. and N.J., Texas, Md., Calif. and Penn, Ohio
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Foreign countries
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6
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Percentage of transfers
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54 (7 percent)
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Percentage from high school
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727 (93 percent)
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Women
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43 (6 percent)
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African American
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54 (7 percent)
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Total minority
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165 (21 percent)
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International students
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8 (1 percent)
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S.C. residents
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406 (52 percent)
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Out-of-state/international
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375 (48 percent)
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Average SAT score
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1074 (100 percent of entering freshmen with SAT scores)
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Above 1100
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169 (38 percent)
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Up to 1090
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275 (62 percent)
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Average high school GPA
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3.51
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Top 25 percent of high school class
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188 (33 percent)
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Most subscribed majors
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Business Administration
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148
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Civil & Environmental Engin
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128
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Criminal Justice
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114
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History
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62
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Biology
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57
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Political Science
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57
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Electrical Engineering
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53
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Health, Exercise & SS
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48
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Computer Science
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37
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MILESTONES Largest class in 56 yrs: 781 Record number of total apps: 2,958 Record number of women’s apps: 358 Record number of Hispanic apps: 281 Record number of Af-Am apps: 373 Record number of Minority apps: 906

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