Penn admitted 3,731 out of 44,482 applicants for the Class of 2022, setting a record-low acceptance rate of 8.39 percent for the incoming freshman class.
The drop from last year's acceptance rate — which broke a previous record-low of 9.15 percent for the Class of 2021 — is the most drastic decrease in recent years.The Class of 2020 had an acceptance rate of 9.41 percent, the Class of 2019 was 9.92 percent, and the Class of 2018 was 9.90 percent.
The total applicant pool of 44,482 saw a drastic increase of 4,069 students since last year's 40,413 total.
The Early Decision acceptance rate for the Class of 2022, released in December, also set a new low at 18.5 percent — a significant drop from last year’s 22 percent ED rate and the previous year’s 23.2 percent rate. The current total acceptance rate of 8.39 percent takes the ED acceptance rate into account.
One in every seven admitted students to the Class of 2022 is the first in their families to attend college, according to a statement released to The Daily Pennsylvanian. Dean of Admissions Eric Furda said this is a dramatic increase from the one in every eight first-generation students admitted last year.
The number of international applicants increased by 6 percent as well.
The admitted class includes 178 students who applied through Questbridge, a national scholarship program that seeks to aid high-achieving, low-income students gain enrollment at top universities.
Members of the class hail from all 50 states, Washington D.C., Puerto Rico, and Guam. Pennsylvania, New York, California, New Jersey, Florida, and Texas are the states with the most representation.
There are 104 countries represented in the admitted class as well.
On March 1, Penn’s Board of Trustees increased the financial aid budget by 5.3 percent, providing for Penn’s largest financial aid budget in history.
The number of admitted students affiliated with community-based organizations, including National College Advising Corps, EducationUSA, and National Hispanic Institute increased to 465, more than double last year's 225 students.
Regular decision applicants to Penn and other Ivy League schools can view their admission decisions starting Wednesday, March 28, at 7 p.m. Eastern Time.
Penn already accepted 1,312 applicants in December’s Early Decision round and plans to enroll a total of 2,445 students across all four undergraduate schools.
“We are thrilled about the possibility of these students joining our community, brining their intellectual curiosities, analytical minds and collaborative spirits to enrich our campus,” Furda said. “We can’t wait to meet them.”
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