Early applications rise across Ivies

Dartmouth is the only Ivy League school not to report an increase. Early-decision and early-action applications rose at seven of the Ivy League's eight universities this year, with only Dartmouth College reporting fewer early applicants than last year. Six of the eight Ivy League schools use a binding early-decision plan, which requires applicants to attend the university if accepted. Brown and Harvard universities, by contrast, use an early-action program which does not obligate applicants to matriculate at the schools. Columbia University saw the largest percentage increase in the Ivy League, with early-decision applications jumping 28 percent from last year. Columbia's two undergraduate schools received a total of 1,249 early applications this year, compared to 977 for the Class of 2001. Early-decision applications for Penn's Class of 2002 also increased substantially, rising 16 percent from last year's total of 1,834 applicants, according to Admissions Dean Lee Stetson. But this year's 2,134 early applications are only slightly higher than the 2,046 received two years ago. Last fall's crime wave was blamed for the sharp fall in early applications for the Class of 2001. Cornell University experienced a 5 percent increase in early applicants this year, according to Lori Wheeler, Cornell's assistant director of operations. Early applications rose from 2,217 last year to 2,330 this year. Early-decision applications at Princeton University rose from 1,610 last year to 1,630 this year, an increase of about 1 percent, according to an admissions spokesperson. Like most of the other Ivy League schools, Yale saw a slight increase in the number of its early-decision applicants this year, according to Admissions Dean Richard Shaw. Early applications rose 4 percent, from 1,262 last year to 1,312 for the Class of 2002. Dartmouth was the only Ivy school to see a drop in its early-application numbers, which fell 8 percent from last year. Preliminary numbers indicate that early applications decreased from 1,313 for the Class of 2001 to 1,208 this year, according to Admissions Dean Karl Furstenberg. Because early action is nonbinding, Harvard and Brown typically receive larger numbers of early applicants than the other Ivy League schools. Brown's early-action applications rose 5 percent from 3,005 last year to 3,160 this year, according to Admissions Dean Mike Goldberger. Harvard University also saw its early applications increase, rising 9 percent from 3,887 last year to 4,221 for the Class of 2002, according to an Admissions office spokesperson.

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.