Dayton's Brett Beibelberg is Harvard Bound

It's official. Brett Beibelberg is going to Harvard. The esteemed Cambridge-based institution of higher learning emailed Patch to let us know all about it. 

This is only the latest accolade for Beibelberg. In addition to being one of , the graduating senior is a member of the as well as a . In addition, he was recently among two students from New Jersey chosen for the . 

Before we share Harvard's announcement, Adam Bulger, the editor of Springfield Patch and author of this article, would like to congratulate Brett and wish him the best of luck.

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Harvard College announced today that Brett Biebelberg of Springfield, NJ, will matriculate and join the Class of 2016 in the fall. Biebelberg will join 1,600 students selected from a pool of more than 34,000 applicants from all 50 states and from countries around the world.

“The Class of 2016 boasts an astonishing diversity of accomplishments, abilities, interests, and backgrounds,” said Harvard College Dean Evelynn M. Hammonds. “Thanks to the College’s need-blind financial aid policy, we can bring the world’s most gifted students to Harvard, regardless of their family’s financial resources. I look forward to greeting freshmen when they arrive on campus this August.”

Harvard admissions officials say that this year’s applicant pool of 34,302 students was re-markable for its excellence and diversity. More than 14,000 scored 700 or above on the SAT critical reading test; 17,000 scored 700 or above on the SAT math test; 15,000 scored 700 or higher on the SAT writing test; and 3,800 were ranked first in their high school classes. Almost 22 percent of admitted students reside in the mid-Atlantic states, 21 percent in the Western and Mountain states, 19 percent in the South, 17 percent in New England, 10 percent in the Midwest, and 11 percent in the U.S. territories and abroad. The matriculating class represents a wide range of ethnicities and backgrounds – 22.6 percent are Asian-American; 9.4 percent African-American; 9.3 percent Latino; 1.7 percent Native American and Native Hawaiian – and nearly equal proportions of men and women: 52.5 percent and 47.5 percent, respectively.

The excellence and diversity of the Class of 2016 is possible thanks to a record $172 million financial aid budget for academic year 2012-2013. More than 70 percent of students will receive some sort of financial aid. More than 60 percent will receive need-based grant aid and will pay, on average, $12,000 toward the cost of tuition, room, board, and fees, with an average grant of more than $41,000.Under the College’s “zero contribution” policy, families with normal assets making $65,000 or less annually will pay nothing for their student’s tuition, room, board, and fees. Families with incomes up to $150,000 will pay from zero to 10 percent of their income, depending on individual family circumstances. Families with incomes above $150,000 may still qualify for need-based assistance.

“Harvard is reaching out more than ever before for students with remarkable personal qualities and character who can play leadership roles in addressing the many urgent challenges facing us,” said William R. Fitzsimmons, dean of admissions and financial aid. “The benefits of enabling students from all backgrounds to make the most of their talents through higher education will be felt on campus and in the world for generations to come.”