Early applications up from last year

Applications rebounded from last year's crime-related drop to edge 1995's numbers slightly, according to projections. Early-decision applications for the University's Class of 2002 have rebounded from last year's crime-induced slump, hitting an all-time high of approximately 2,050 applicants, according to preliminary projections released by the Office of Undergraduate Admissions. Although this year's figure represents a significant increase from last year -- when a well-publicized on- and off-campus crime wave caused a 10 percent drop in early-decision applications -- it is only a miniscule increase from the the 2,046 applications received two years ago. Admissions Dean Lee Stetson stressed, however, that that the actual number of early-decision applicants may end up exceeding the projections because a number of applications have not yet been delivered to the University. Early-decision applications had to be postmarked by November 1, but applications from many international students are still in transit, Stetson said. He added the increased number of early-decision applicants can be attributed to several factors, including a "clear recognition of Penn as a school of choice." The "mostly positive" media attention the University received last year -- including its No. 7 ranking in US News and World Report's annual ranking of the nation's top schools -- may have also helped bolster the amount of early applications, he said. However, Penn's US News ranking this year was the highest this decade. With administrators calling last year's drop in applicants an anomaly, the small increase over 1995 seems less than might be expected, though it is impossible to measure how much high school students look to the rankings in determining where to apply. Compared to last year's numbers, Stetson said "in general, the increase is pronounced across the country." Applications from California, Florida and Virginia saw the highest jump -- approximately 15 to 20 percent. International applications are expected to rise by a similar percentage, he said. The early-decision applicants are about evenly divided between men and women, Stetson said. Last year, applications from women fell over 17 percent, while those from men dropped 5 percent. Early-decision applicants commit to attend the University if accepted in mid-December, but they can apply to other schools if deferred or rejected. The Office of Undergraduate Admissions typically rejects only about 5 percent of early-decision applicants. The final numbers of early-decision applicants will be released at the end of next week, as will the numbers from the other Ivy League schools. Stetson added that the number of regular-decision applications to the University are "running way ahead of last year," though those are not due until January 1. No final regular-decision numbers will be available until then.

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