Harvard Business School (HBS) has released statistics about the Class of 2011, revealing what it called “a truly diverse student body – in background, nationality, interests and ambitions.” Indeed, of the 942 enrolled students, 37 percent are female, 23 percent are U.S. ethnic minorities and 36 percent are international students representing 70 different countries.

Perhaps most interesting among the statistics was that 441 of the students, or almost 47 percent, were admitted within three years of college graduation. This represents a radical departure from trends of the past, when five years of work experience before business school was considered the norm. In fact, through programs like HBS 2+2, which seeks to attract promising college students to apply to the MBA program while still in school and then enroll after completing just two years of work experience, Harvard has begun to aggressively recruit younger applicants in recent years.

Other figures revealed by the 2011 class profile statistics provide prospective applicants for future years with valuable information about the competitiveness of this year’s class. Of the 9,093 applications received, 12 percent were admitted. Of admitted students, 89 percent accepted the offer and enrolled in the HBS MBA program. The average undergraduate GPA for students admitted to the Class of 2011 was 3.67, and the middle 50 percent GMAT score range was between 700 and 760.

For more details on the HBS Class of 2011 profile, click here. To view additional statistics providing a historical perspective, click here.

HBS MBA Class of 2011*