The University has admitted 43 students into the Class of 2017 from the waitlist this year in its lowest number of acceptances from the waitlist since 2008.

In a 7-1 ruling delivered by Justice Anthony Kennedy, the Supreme Court ordered that Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin be reheard by a lower court because the fifth circuit court of appeals failed to “hold the University to the demanding burden of strict scrutiny” in its original decision.

Admissions consulting firms have been around for a while now, and with a constant flow of demand from both undergraduate and graduate students seeking advice on how to perfect their applications to various programs, the industry is flourishing.

The University prides itself on elevating groups that have faced discrimination, but it is penalizing Asian Americans for their success despite prejudice.

The SAT, a rite of passage for many college-bound students throughout the country, will be undergoing a redesign.

A completely new set of essay questions await next year’s pool of applicants on the 2013-2014 Common Application.

Tomorrow morning at 9:30 a.m., Dean of Admissions Eric Furda will be speaking about the college admissions process with Al Roker on the Today Show.

This is the third straight year that Penn’s applicant pool has remained above 31,000, after a 39 percent increase from 2009 to 2011.

In response to the looming severe weather threat of Hurricane Sandy, the Office of Admissions has extended the deadline for early decision applications to 11:59 p.m. on Nov. 6.

The new site, launched on Oct. 3, features new tabs about various aspects of life at Penn, including interdisciplinary learning, extracurricular activities and the city of Philadelphia.

Penn dropped three spots to eighth place in the 2013 U.S. News and World Report rankings of the nation’s top colleges and universities. The Wharton School retained its spot as the top undergraduate business school.

The yield for both the regular and early decision admits was 63.3 percent this year, similar to the yield rate of 62.7 percent for the Class of 2015.

Additional recommendation letters may boost or harm an application, according to admissions experts.

According to the Office of Admissions, 14 percent of Penn’s newly admitted Class of 2016 are first-generation college students whose parents have not attained college degrees.

Students who have been admitted to Penn’s Class of 2016 will begin arriving on campus April 12 for Penn Preview Days.

The Admissions Office waitlisted 2,017 students this admissions cycle, continuing a trend of shrinking the waitlist over the past few years. Penn waitlisted 2,400 students last year and more than 3,500 students three years ago.

Dean of Admissions Eric Furda said the Office of Admissions usually sends warning letters to newly admitted students and their high-school counselors after a “pattern of lower grades” or a failing grade.