Penn admitted 19.7% of early decision applicants to the Class of 2024 — breaking nearly a decade of declining ED acceptance rates.
The University received 6,453 ED applications this year, a 9% decline from last year’s 7,109 applicants. This year’s dip comes after a steady increase in the ED applicant pool since 2011.
Last year, Penn recorded its lowest ED acceptance rate, admitting just 18% of the applicant pool to the Class of 2023. The ED acceptance rate for the Class of 2022 was 18.5%, a sharp decline from the previous year's 22% rate.
Penn released all early admissions decisions on Dec. 16 at 7 p.m. EST.
In November, Dean of Admissions Eric Furda told The Daily Pennsylvanian that Penn Admissions experienced an increase in applications after the SAT was redesigned in 2017. Furda said he believed students saw themselves as more competitive applicants after SAT scores increased “along certain areas of distribution.”
The 1,269 students granted early admission account for approximately 53% of the expected enrolling Class of 2024.
Thirteen percent of the accepted ED students are international, hailing from 50 countries, compared to last year’s 48 countries. The class represents 46 states, Washington D.C., and Puerto Rico. The highest number of admitted students were from Pennsylvania, New York, California, and New Jersey.
Of those who are United States citizens or permanent residents, 52% identify as students of a minority group, an increase from 48% last year. Similarly, 54% of admitted students identified as female, an increase from 51% last cycle. Ten percent of admitted students are first-generation college students, a slight decrease from last year’s 11%.
Of students admitted to the Class of 2024, 24% had a parent or grandparent who attended Penn. Last year, 23% of admitted students were legacies.
The projected class size for the Class of 2024 after the regular decision program is 2,400 students across all four schools. Regular decision applications must be submitted by Jan. 5, 2020.
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