Minerva Schools at KGI Admit Founding Class

SAN FRANCISCO, March 26, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Admissions offers have been delivered to students invited to join the Founding Class at the Minerva Schools at KGI, offering a reinvented university experience for the brightest and most motivated students from around the world. With only 45 students admitted out of 1,794 applications received to date, the Minerva Schools at KGI's admissions rate of 2.5% makes Minerva the most selective undergraduate program in U.S. history. Students have until April 15, 2014 to accept offers of admission.

"Minerva attracted some of the most coveted students from around the globe," said Dr. Stephen Kosslyn, founding dean of the Minerva Schools at KGI. "The caliber of students who applied was exceptional. Beyond their outstanding academic credentials, those offered admission to Minerva demonstrated remarkable intellectual curiosity, leadership qualities and an entrepreneurial spirit."

Students outside of the U.S. make up the majority (58%) of students offered admission with 10 countries and five continents represented. Slightly more than half (58%) of the admitted students are women. The admitted students are extraordinarily gifted and driven individuals with major accomplishments that span intellectual, social, business, and artistic endeavors. Three students are entrepreneurs with thriving businesses, two hold patents, one is the co-founder of an NGO, eight have written and published books, plays, articles, or scientific papers, six are leaders in student publications or broadcast stations, five lead high school sports teams, and four are heads of student government. Many of the students are award winners in a variety of prominent regional, national and international competitions in the arts and humanities (8), natural sciences (8), and computational sciences (6), among others.  The admitted students were drawn from an impressive pool of applicants that included not only current high school students, but also college students willing to begin their university studies again. Admission was based strictly on the most rigorous intellectual standards and assessments with no weight given to ancestry, athletic ability, state or country of origin, or capacity to donate.

"The opportunity to join our Founding Class and be part of this completely unique academic and cultural experience appealed to students from a wide variety of backgrounds and geographies," said Sheldon Schuster, president of Keck Graduate Institute (KGI). "We received more than 1,700 applications for our new program, reinforcing the strong demand for this type of undergraduate offering. We look forward to welcoming an outstanding group of students and delivering a world-class education to these individuals who are likely to be among the world's future leaders and innovators."

Applications were received from students in 88 countries with no single nationality comprising more than 30% of the applicant pool. The largest percentage of applicants came from the U.S. Minerva team members across six countries on five continents played a key role in attracting applications from students around the globe.

Members of Minerva's Founding Class will matriculate tuition-free for all four years. The Founding Class will commence courses, which are designed as intensively participatory seminars, on the Minerva technology platform in September 2014. The students will reside in a Minerva residence hall in San Francisco where their academic experience will be enhanced with unique cultural, social and civic experiences that complement formal coursework. In subsequent years, students will be encouraged to live and study in Minerva residence halls in up to seven major cities around the globe, exposing students to diverse experience the world has to offer.

"From the beginning, I said we would never compromise on any aspect of reinventing higher education—from our distinguished faculty to our innovative technology to our incubation with one of the most reputable consortiums in higher education," said Ben Nelson, founder and CEO of Minerva Project. "We applied the same principle to admissions, attracted an incredibly diverse and accomplished pool of applicants, and established the highest bar of any university in the world."

About Minerva Schools at KGI
The Minerva Schools at KGI offers a reinvented university experience for the brightest, most motivated students from around the world. Combining an interdisciplinary curriculum and rigorous academic standards, an accomplished faculty versed in the science of learning, an advanced interactive learning platform leveraging cutting-edge technology, and four years of immersive global experience, Minerva will deliver an exceptional liberal arts and sciences education for future leaders and innovators in every discipline. The Minerva Schools at KGI were established by KGI in alliance with Minerva Project. The relationship between KGI and Minerva Project, the offering of an undergraduate program through the Minerva Schools at KGI, and 12 concentrations have been granted WASC approval. For more information please visit: http://minerva.kgi.edu

SOURCE Minerva Schools at KGI