29% of early app students admitted

Penn has accepted 29 percent of early applicants for the Class of 2011, a group that will make up about 48 percent of the total class.

Last year, the University accepted 28 percent of its early applicants, and this year's slight rise in the acceptance rate comes in conjunction with a 2.5 percent decrease in early decision applications.

A record-breaking 9.5 percent of the admitted class will be international students, with strong representation from Canada, India, England and Hong Kong.

Accepted students from within the country currently represent 47 of the 50 states.

The number of accepted minority students dropped from last year's record-breaking levels. The number of Latino students dropped from 89 to 71. Seventy-four black students were admitted this year, compared to 81 for the Class of 2010. There were also 239 Asian students and four Native Americans admitted.

Penn Dean of Admission Lee Stetson characterized the newly admitted students as "the strongest group ever admitted early to Penn."

Those admitted to the Class of 2011 have an average SAT Critical Reasoning score of 697, compared to 686 from the class of 2010. Math scores rose from 715 to 722, and the average writing score was 705, up from 695 last year.

In reference to their academic strength, University President Amy Gutmann said that the recently admitted students "humble all of us."

Sally Rubenstone, counselor with the group College Confidential, said she has seen Penn's image rise among perspective applicants in recent years.

"Students who used to come to me only wanting to know about Harvard, Princeton and Yale now include Penn on their list," Rubenstone said.

Stetson discussed joint traveling efforts and a recruiting program with Duke, Harvard, Georgetown and Stanford universities - which he estimates has attracted 40,000 more parents and students to the event than in past years - as possible reasons for the rise in applicant strength.

Recently accepted Penn students, seniors Ben Friedman and Sona Parikh from Detroit Country Day School in Beverly Hills, Mich., both mentioned the urban Philadelphia campus as a major factor in their decision to apply early to Penn.

Parikh also said that the broad spectrum of academic programs offered by Penn suited her well because she is not sure what she wants to major in yet.

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