Babson College
Babson College teaches one subject. Every one of its roughly 2,850 undergraduates in Wellesley, Massachusetts earns the same Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, and the entire first-year class launches and liquidates a real company through the college's signature entrepreneurship course. That single-purpose design shows up in the numbers: 97% of first-years return for a second year and 92% graduate within six. Admission runs about 16.2% of some 10,550 applicants, tighter than most people expect, and 27% of degree-seeking undergraduates are international.
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Babson admissions statistics
Acceptance rate
Total applicants, admitted students, and enrolled students for the most recent admission cycle.
Early decision
Babson offers binding Early Decision. Applying early can meaningfully change your odds — but ED commits you to enroll if admitted.
Admit rate by application plan
% admitted~1.7× higher admit rate applying early.
Standardized tests
Babson is currently test-optional — you may apply without submitting scores.
SAT Accepted?
ACT Accepted?
Test Optional?
SAT Scores
ACT Scores
Babson supplemental essays — 2026-2027 cycle
The Babson education prepares students to think and act entrepreneurially, preparing them for careers across a variety of industries including business, entrepreneurship, social innovation, and more. Tell us about your interest in studying business, including any relevant experience you have or what your career aspirations are, and how you feel Babson can help prepare you to make an impact in your chosen field of business. (500 words maximum)
We invite you to submit your answer in either essay OR video format. If you choose to submit a video, please limit your response to a 1-minute video, which can be submitted via a shared link to YouTube or another video hosting website. Please ensure your video is set to public and is accessible to the Admission Committee.
A defining element of the Babson experience is learning and thriving in an equitable and inclusive community with a wide range of perspectives, experiences, and interests. Please share something about your background, lived experiences, or viewpoint(s) that speaks to: (1) your commitment to promoting access, connection, or understanding across differences; and/or (2) how you will contribute to and learn from Babson's collaborative community. (250 words maximum)
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Admissions factors
How Babson weighs each part of your application.
Rigor of High School Record
Academic GPA
Standardized Test Scores
Application Essay
Recommendations
Extracurricular Activities
Character / Personal Qualities
Talent / Ability
First Generation
Level of Applicant's Interest
Class Rank
Volunteer Work
Work Experience
Geographical Residence
State Residency
Alumni Relation
Racial / Ethnic Status
Religious Affiliation
Cost of attendance
Estimated full-time annual cost from Babson's Common Data Set.
Private universities charge the same tuition regardless of state residency.
Financial aid
Need-based aid statistics for full-time first-year students.
Frequently asked questions about Babson admissions
Yes, more than its name recognition suggests. Babson admitted about 16.2% of roughly 10,550 applicants, a rate comparable to schools far better known outside business circles. It enrolled 692 first-years. Applicants who submitted scores clustered high, with 83% above a 1400 SAT, and Babson rates eight separate factors as very important rather than leaning on one or two.
No, Babson is test-optional, and only about 24% of enrolled first-years submitted an SAT. The important caveat: Babson rates standardized test scores as a very important factor, the top tier, unlike most test-optional schools that demote them to 'considered.' A score inside the 1410 to 1510 band is a real asset here, so submit if you have one.
A 1500 is strong at Babson, sitting just under the 1510 seventy-fifth percentile and well above the 1470 median. The middle 50% of enrolled first-years who submitted scored 1410 to 1510, and 83% cleared 1400. The ACT range ran 30 to 34.
Babson admitted 340 of 1,339 binding Early Decision applicants, about 25.4%, against roughly 16% in the pool overall. Babson offers ED I and ED II plus a non-binding Early Action round. Given how much of the class fills early at a college this small, the binding round carries meaningful weight.
Business, and only business. Every Babson bachelor's degree conferred is the same BS in Business Administration, which its Common Data Set reports as 100% of degrees. Students differentiate through concentrations such as entrepreneurship, finance, marketing, and business analytics rather than separate majors, and the liberal arts appear as required coursework woven into that single degree.
Tuition runs $60,288 with no separate required fees, and on-campus food and housing add $23,218. About 34% of first-years receive need-based scholarship or grant aid, but Babson meets 100% of demonstrated need on average, and the average first-year aid package reaches $52,979. Fewer students qualify here than at some peers; those who do are covered fully.
Yes, as much as your transcript. Babson rates the application essay as very important, the same tier it assigns GPA, course rigor, class rank, and test scores. Its supplement asks about your interest in business, entrepreneurship, and social innovation, and about Babson specifically, so a response that names actual programs and describes something you have built or run will land better than general enthusiasm.
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Small, international, and residential. Babson enrolls about 2,853 undergraduates, 27% of degree-seeking students are international, and 80% of first-years come from outside Massachusetts. All first-years live on campus, roughly 14% of men join fraternities and 15% of women join sororities, and the student-faculty ratio is 16 to 1.
Popular majors
Bachelor's degrees awarded in the past year by academic major.
Student-faculty ratio
The number of students for every one faculty member, indicating the average level of access students have to instructional staff.
Campus life
On-campus housing and Greek life participation rates.
Enrollment by gender
Student diversity
Racial and ethnic breakdown of enrolled undergraduate students.
Source: Babson College Common Data Set 2025-2026. Figures transcribed 2026-08-19. Esslo aggregates publicly reported data and is not affiliated with Babson. Banner photo by Kenneth C. Zirkel, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0). Cite this page as: Esslo College Explorer, “Babson College admissions statistics, transcribed from the 2025-2026 Common Data Set,” https://www.esslo.org/colleges/babson (retrieved 2026-08-19).