Dean pleased with admissions yield

Upperclassmen beware: approximately 2,414 new freshman faces are expected to arrive on campus this September, according to the latest data from the Admissions Office. Admissions Dean Lee Stetson said he is pleased with the number of students that have chosen to accept Penn's offer of admission, noting that approximately 50 percent of those admitted have decided to attend. Stetson also emphasized that the class size is extremely close to the target of 2,350. He said the class size should drop back to its target following the "summer melt," which he described as the small percentage of students that decide to defer admission until the following year and those who elect not to attend at the last moment. Last year's numbers were fairly comparable, as 2,349 of the 4,793 students admitted showed up in September, putting the yield at about 49 percent. Stetson noted that the admissions office is still waiting to hear from about ten students that were offered admission from the waitlist, which may alter the figures slightly. He said that about 50 to 60 students were accepted from the waitlist this year, which was exactly according to plan. Broken down, more than half of the class of 2002 -- 1,526 to be exact -- will join the College of Arts and Sciences in the fall; 437 will call the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences their home; 380 will enter the Wharton School; and 71 will matriculate into the School of Nursing. And this year's entering class will also be represented in several interdisciplinary programs, according to Stetson. The Huntsman Program in International Studies and Business will welcome 35 members of the class of 2002 to its ranks, Management and Technology, 43; and Nursing and health Care Management, 5. The 1,194 women will comprise a little less than half of the class of 2002, which is consistent with last year's data, when 1,143 females chose to matriculate. Students who attended private or parochial schools will make up a greater percentage of this year's class than the class of 2001 -- 43 percent this year, up from 40 percent last year. And more children of alumni have chosen to attend the University this year, 280 of the class of 2002 are legacies, as compared to 248 in the class of 2001. There is also a rise in minority representation in this year's entering class -- 886, up from last year's number of 829. Stetson also noted that the total may drift up even more following waitlist decisions. According to current projections, the number of African American students in the entering class decreased slightly from 154 last year to 144 for the class of 2002. There are 621 Asian Americans in the class, up from 542 last year; 114 Hispanic students, down slightly from 125 last year; and 7 Native Americans, as compared to 8 in the class of 2001. Stetson called 1998 a good year for international admissions, noting that foreign students make up 10 percent of this year's class, up from 9 percent last year. And the current class of 2002 hails from 55 countries and five continents. Domestically, 48 states are represented in this year's entering class, with Mississippi and Arkansas being the only ones absent. The mid-Atlantic states and the New England area account for 53 percent of the incoming class and Stetson noted that all-time high numbers of matriculants from five states: California, 216; Oregon, 18; Tennessee, 24; Maryland, 110; and Delaware, 20. And if the SAT I is any indication, the class of 2002 exhibits remarkable strength academically, according to Stetson. Although the average class rank of this year's entering class is the same as the preceding class -- the top two percent -- the average SAT I score went up 26 points, from last year's previous all-time high of 1359 to 1385. The average verbal score rose to 680 from 666 last year, while the average math score increased from 693 to 705. The average SAT II score also increased, from 675 last year to 685. Stetson attributed this year's enrollment to a combined effort by the admissions staff, undergraduate schools and the many alumni and students who helped in the process. Although he emphasized that summer surveys of admitted students will provide the admissions office with more concrete data, Stetson said it is obvious that applicants had many other universities to choose from. "We certainly received our share of matriculants and we have made strides in the Ivy league competition," Stetson said. "There is a lot of interest in Penn and it's rising."