Of the record 3,420 students who applied early to Penn in 2004, 1,170 received good news in the mail over winter break.
This 34-percent acceptance rate is the same as in 2003, but 50 more students were accepted in this round of early decision. A slightly higher percentage of next year's freshman class has therefore already been filled.
Dean of Undergraduate Admissions Lee Stetson said that with about 47 to 48 percent of the Class of 2009 already filled, "just a few fewer" will be admitted during the regular admissions round this spring.
Stetson cited the overall strength of the pool of applicants as the reason that more students were accepted early.
"It's just a terrific class," he said, "Students seem to be getting stronger academically."
To this effect, Stetson noted that six more students than in 2003 were accepted early to the Management and Technology program and that five more students were accepted early to the Huntsman program.
Also, the average SAT score of the accepted students rose from 1410 in 2003 to 1413 in 2004.
Stetson cited the quality of the applicant pool and a greater overall recognition of Penn as contributing to the SAT increase.
"More and more students are hearing about us from outside the East," Stetson said. Both general word of mouth and the joint travel tour that Penn admissions officers have gone on with officers from Harvard, Georgetown and Duke have helped lead to this increased recognition, according to Stetson.
Consequently, Stetson noted that the group of accepted applicants is "geographically more diverse" than in years past, with fewer students coming from the eastern United States.
Overall, 69 percent of those accepted hail from the northeastern and mid-Atlantic states, representing a 2 percent drop in acceptances from these areas from last year.
Fifteen percent of the accepted applicants will come to Penn from states in the West and Southwest -- an increase of two percent over last year -- and eight percent will come from the central states -- an increase of 1 percent.
Pennsylvania, as usual, led all states in students admitted with 229. New York, with 181 students, trailed slightly behind, followed by New Jersey with 155 and California with 89.
Also, four states -- Florida with 48, Ohio with 21, Colorado with 11 and Louisiana with seven -- saw more early applicants accepted than ever before.
Wyoming, Arkansas, North Dakota and Mississippi are the only states from which no early applicants were admitted.
Eighty-five international students were accepted, comprising 7.3 percent of the overall pool.
"Internationally, we're seeing a growth of interest," Stetson said, noting that six continents and over 60 countries are already represented in the Class of 2009.
There was a significant increase in international applications in 2004, as the number ballooned to 391 from 104 in 2003.
An equal number of male and female applicants were admitted, and 29 percent of them were students of color, representing a two percent increase over last year.
Fifty-eight of the accepted students are African American -- an increase of eight from 2003 -- and 67 are Latino, an increase of one. 187 Asians were admitted, a decrease of 22.
Twenty-one percent of all those admitted early are alumni legacies, the same percentage as in 2003.
Stetson predicts that the general trends of increased geographic diversity and quality of applicants will continue on into the regular round of admissions.
"The general momentum in our favor is exciting," he said.
