Applications to Penn reach all-time high

The numbers are finally in -- or just about. At last count, the Admissions Office reported having received an all-time high of 16,520 applications for the Class of 2002. And they're still trickling in from international students, Admissions Dean Lee Stetson said. This year's number of applicants is up about 7 percent from last year's count of 15,464. It also tops the previous high of 15,862, in 1996, by about 5 percent. Stetson cautioned that the increase in applications should not be interpreted as merely an "inevitable rebound" from last year's crime-induced low. "Of the three others I have heard from, Harvard is the only one to report similar statistics -- they came in at about 16,500 applications as well," he said. Stetson said Dartmouth College experienced a 5 percent decrease in applicants, whereas Cornell University's returns remained relatively stable. "We're up in the Ivies," he added. The breakdown of applicants by school also seems promising, with every school but Nursing reporting an increase in application numbers, he said. The College of Arts and Sciences received 10,595 applications, a 5 percent increase from the 10,067 applications received last year. The School of Engineering and Applied Science received 2,853 applications, up 15 percent from last year's count of 2,481, while the Wharton School received 2,919 applications, an increase of 7 percent from 2,737 last year. The Nursing School experienced a 15 percent drop, from 179 applications last year to 153 this year. This year's regular applicant pool is exceptionally diverse, making up for the small minority decrease in the early applicant pool, Stetson said. The Admissions Office received 6,901 applications from minority students this year, up 2 percent from 6,776 last year. Only 214 minority applications were received early, down 5 percent from 225. Once all the applications are in, minority applications will probably be up by about 6 percent over last year, Stetson said. This year, 1,035 African Americans applied to the University, compared with 980 last year, a 6 percent jump. The number of Asian applicants also increased 7 percent, from 4,709 last year to 5,060 this year. The number of Latino applicants decreased 3 percent this year to 766 from last year's count of 792. This year's pool has applicants from all 50 states. Eighteen states, including California, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, Texas and Colorado reported a record-high number of applicants. International applications also hit highs this year. The Admissions Office received 2,192 such applications, up 4 percent from the previous high of 2,117. Stetson was unable to confirm how many countries are represented in this pool, as several international applications are still expected. More children of alumni applied this year, with 883 legacy applications, up from 785. Female applicants represented about 46 percent of this year's total applicant pool, about the same proportion as last year. Although the Admissions Office is still tracking the class rankings of this year's applicants, Stetson anticipates that most will fall somewhere in the top 4 percent of their class -- the same as last year. The average combined Scholastic Assessment Test scores of this year's pool is 1338, an increase from last year's average of 1324. Average SAT II scores for individual subject tests also increased this year, from 655 to 662. Stetson stressed that these figures are preliminary. "The numbers we have now are encouraging," Stetson said. "No doubt that we're getting a little stronger every year. We're definitely able to be more selective." Stetson estimated that the University will probably admit somewhere around 27 or 28 percent of applicants this year. Last year, 31 percent of the applicant pool received letters of acceptance in April. "It's clear that Penn is a school of choice," Stetson said. University President Judith Rodin was also pleased with the increase in applications, adding that "more and more people are recognizing what we already knew -- Penn is a great place to be."