Early apps increase by five percent

1,454 hope to arrive in fall More than 1,450 high school seniors applied for early decision into the University's Class of 1998, Admissions Dean Lee Stetson said yesterday. The 1,454 applications received as of Wednesday mark a five-percent increase over the 1,386 early decision applications which the Admissions Office received last year, Stetson said. And although applications were postmarked by November 1, the office is still in the process of tallying the applications. Stetson said he expects the increase will ultimately be between six and seven percent. "It's once again an indication that students and parents are willing to make a commitment to Penn as a first choice," Stetson said. "They are eliminating other schools and saying they really want Penn." Early decision is a binding application process that requires admitted students to attend the University, barring financial aid difficulties. On average, 48 to 50 percent of early decision applicants are accepted, Stetson said. Forty percent are deferred to the regular admission pool and 10 percent are rejected. Stetson said this year's figures are significant because it comes at a time when the demographic base of 18-year-olds in the country is decreasing. To admissions officers who travelled and saw prospective students on campus, the increase cannot come as a total surprise. Stetson said admissions officers have seen more students than usual during their national travels and more students have visited campus this fall. Interim President Claire Fagin said yesterday she considers the increase "extraordinary," and the "best news" she had heard all day. "It sends a very positive message," Fagin said. "It gives our faculty a lift, it gives our staff a lift, it gives our students a lift and it gives me a lift. It is a very, very upbeat message." Stetson said the number of women applying for admission to the class of 1998 increased by 19 percent, from 570 last year to 677. The number of male applicants did not change. Applications to the College of Arts and Sciences jumped 12 percent, from 844 last year to 946 this year. The Engineering School followed suit with seven percent more applicants, but the Wharton School saw its pool drop by 14 percent. The number of applicants to the Nursing School remained the same. Stetson said the number of Asian students seeking admission increased slightly, while the number of African-American, Hispanic and Mexican-American applicants was the same as last year. States showing the largest increases this year are Ohio, whose pool increased by 30 percent, Pennsylvania with a 15 percent increase and New York and New Jersey, each with two percent jumps. Discussions about the size of next year's class are currently being held between the four undergraduate schools and the Admissions Office, but Stetson said he anticipates that fewer students will be accepted when the discussions wrap up in January. "We're still in the planning stages for determining class size," Stetson said. "My sense is that there will be a scaling back closer to our normal goal of 2,250 to 2,300 as opposed to 2,400." The Class of 1997, which entered the University this fall, was 85 students larger than administrators had anticipated, with large increases in size for Wharton, Engineering and the College. A smaller class size coupled with an increase in applicants will intensify competition for the spots available. "There will be more competition assuming the pool is as strong as we expect it will be," he said. "The quality of our applicant pool has gradually increased over the last few years." Stetson said he attributes the increase in applicants, in part, to the strengthened image of the University among prospective students and their parents. "Penn is seen as a dynamic place, an academically challenging institution and a school with students who are engaged, involved and enjoy being here," he said. The number of regular decision applications received to date is also markedly higher than received last year at this time, Stetson said. These applications are not due until January 1. Last year, as of November 11, 2,219 applications were received. This year, eight percent more – 2,428 total – have arrived.

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