Ivy League sees overall decline in applications

Applications to Penn fell 2.7 percent from last year. Columbia was the only Ivy League school whose applications increased. Fewer students applied to the Ivy League this year, with every institution -- except Columbia University -- reporting a decline in applications for the class of 2001. Applications to Penn dropped 2.7 percent from last year's high of 15,771, with 15,353 students seeking spots in the class of 2001. But this is a minor decline compared to those experienced by most of the Ivy League. Penn Admissions Dean Lee Stetson said he was "encouraged" by the fact that decrease was only minor -- adding that applications tend to fall substantially when institutions are plagued by crime problems like the University experienced last semester. Meanwhile, applications to Columbia increased approximately 9 percent this year. Columbia's Director of Admissions Eric Furda had noted in the past that the admissions office is emphasizing the university's location in New York City. He speculated that more students are applying to Columbia because they are attracted to its urban environment. Brown received 14,841 applications this year, down from 15,012 last year, according to the university's admissions office. This represents a decrease of about 1 percent, which admissions officers called "negligible." Cornell University's admissions office estimated that it received 19,800 applications, a 5 percent decrease from nearly 21,000 last year. Cornell Admissions Dean Donald Saleh said the university keeps a benchmark of 20,000 applications, which tends to ensure a solid pool. He noted that the number of applicants remained near the benchmark this year, and said early indications are that the quality of the applicant pool did not decline. Approximately 10,700 students applied to Dartmouth College this year, a 6 percent decline from the 11,389 who applied last year. "The decrease in applications represents a minor market correction and is nothing specific to Dartmouth," Dartmouth Admissions Dean Karl Furstenburg said. Furstenburg said students may have been intimidated because elite institutions have received record numbers of applications in the past few years and, as a result, have become increasingly selective. Applications to Harvard University decreased 8 percent from 18,183 for the class of 2000 to 16,700 for 2001. But officials in the admissions office noted that this year's applicant pool is still the third-largest in Harvard's history, and that applications increased 49 percent since 1991. Harvard admissions officials suggested that applications to many top schools declined this year because students are being more realistic in evaluating their chances of acceptance. The Princeton University admissions office estimated it received 13,500 applications, a 9 percent decrease from last year's pool of approximately 15,000 applicants. Applications to Yale University also fell -- by 8 percent from 12,952 applicants for the class of 2000 to 11,940 this year. Yale admissions officers speculated that last year, when published mean Scholastic Aptitude Test statistics did not reflect the re-centering of SAT scores, underqualified students may have considered themselves competitive for admission to top schools.