The School of Computer Science is preparing for its largest-ever incoming class of first-years this fall, with 206 students currently committed, continuing the school's efforts to meet the world's growing demand for computer scientists by increasing its undergraduate enrollment.

The class represents a 24 percent increase over the size of last year's first-year class of 166, which was a record at the time. The increase also reflects this fall's launch of a new undergraduate degree in computational biology.

For the second year in a row, almost half of the new students (49 percent) are women. Achieving gender diversity of computer science students — a problem that plagues computer science programs across the country and in many parts of the world — continues to be an important SCS goal. The school has long been a leader in this area, focusing on creating a culture that accepts and supports students of all backgrounds.