Applications for admission reach all-time high

The Office of Admissions has already seen a five percent increase in the number of applicants to the University, at an all-time high of 15,699, according to Admissions Dean Lee Stetson. The Admissions Office expects to receive more than 15,800 applications -- up from last year's 15,074, Stetson said. "It's gotten to the point where every year we exceed last year's record," he added. Stetson said the entire process of sorting through applications should be completed by the third week of March. More people applied to the University this year than ever before from fifteen states. New Jersey's number of applicants climbed significantly from 1,932 to this year's total of 2,209. But the Admissions Office is hoping to increase the number of applicants from the Midwest region and Rocky Mountain states, Stetson said. Of all foreign countries, India had the most applicants -- 146 of the 1,935 international applications. And Bulgaria had a surprising 44 applicants. Applicants' average Scholastic Aptitude Test combined scores were slightly higher, at 1,320 compared to last year's 1,318. The math score went up two points from 672 to 674 this year while the verbal score of 646 stayed the same. "The quality hasn't been this good but that is something we say every year," Admissions Officer Bill McCumber said. Achievement test scores were also higher than last year -- 649 compared to 648. The applicants also averaged a 94 percentile in class rank. Although the larger applicant pool means that the University can be more selective, other Ivy League institutions have seen increases in numbers of applications as well, Stetson said. "We'll have more competition to in trying to enroll this group of students," he added. The College of Arts and Sciences' applicant pool increased by 300 to a total of 10,414. The Wharton School of Business saw a similar rise in applicants from the Class of 1999's 2,303 to this year's 2,626. The School of Engineering and Applied Science had 2,466 applications and the School of Nursing had 162. And 404 students applied to the Program of International Studies and Business, while 507 applied to the Management and Technology program. A third of the applicant pool -- 6,039 -- were minorities. The number of Asian Americans applying was up to 4,355 from 4,290, while the number of African Americans dropped from last year's 938 to 869. And 768 Hispanics applied to the University as well. Applications from Philadelphia residents under the Mayor's Scholarship program increased by 440 this year. Sixty-one percent of this year's applicants attended public school, while the remaining 6,038 come from private schools. A total of 714 students who applied through the early decision process have already been accepted to the University. The average SAT scores for the early decision admittees was 666 for verbal -- up from 662 -- and 688 for math -- up from 684. The Achievement Test averages were also up to 662 from 655. The incoming students also had an average class rank in the 97 percentile compared to last year's 95 percentile.