New record set with Class of 2010 applicants

Applications for undergraduate admission hit an all-time high this year, increasing six percent from last year's record, with a total of 17,478 applicants for the Class of 2010.

"There is no one reason for the larger number," Dean of Admission Janet Rapelye said in an interview Friday. "Everything we do is to attract more students to the University. I am very encouraged that we had another record year."

The increase is particularly important as the University plans to gradually increase class size in anticipation of Whitman College's opening in 2007. The total size of the Class of 2010 is projected to be 1,220, the same size as the Class of 2009, but an increase from 1,175 students two years ago.

Rapelye attributed the rise, in part, to the newly-designed University website as well as increased travel by University representatives to different regions of the world. The site was redesigned in February 2005 to make information more accessible for prospective students.

Rapelye said she has also worked to strengthen potential applicants' understanding of the University's no-loan financial aid program. This year, the University issued more publications and targeted previously unrepresented areas.

"We want the message to ring loud and clear that Princeton offers a no-loan, need-based policy that gives every student equal consideration for financial aid should he or she need it," Rapelye said. "I think that message can still be strengthened, and we will promote it even more over the next few years."

The number of students who applied for financial aid has not yet been determined, said Robin Moscato, senior associate director of undergraduate financial aid. But Moscato estimated that 55 percent of total admitted students would receive monetary support, a one percent increase from the Class of 2009. The figure has grown steadily from 48 percent for the Class of 2005, the first to be offered the no-loan program.

She was also impressed that this year's applicant pool included six percent more international applicants than last year, which saw a 34 percent increase on the previous year.

"In this competitive environment and with what's happening internationally, I was really pleased to see another strong pool of foreign students," Rapelye said, adding that she is especially pleased with the increased number of applicants given that most colleges have experienced a decline in their numbers.

Eighty percent of all applicants for the Class of 2010 applied online, a figure Rapelye said is significantly larger than last year's.

"This is a definite shift from previous years," she said. "I am encouraged that students are becoming more comfortable with the Web and are taking advantage of the available resources."

Of the 15,242 regular decision applicants, almost 12,000 students used the Common Application, either online or on paper. This is a large increase from last year, Rapelye said. She stressed, however, that the admissions committee sees no difference between the Common App and the Princeton application and that each asks the same questions.

Application numbers also increased at some of the University's peer institutions. According to the Yale Daily News, Yale received a record 20,903 total applications, up 7.5 percent from last year. Penn received 20,350 regular applications, an 8 percent increase from last year, and 4,148 early decision applications.

Brown received 18,250 total applications, an increase of 7.9 percent, and Columbia received 19,730 applications, up 9 percent from last year.

Rapelye said the admissions committee has been reviewing applications for three weeks and will continue to read until March, at which point the committee will make its final decisions.

"We are pleased with this year's record turnout, and we will work hard over the next couple of months to make the best decision for Princeton," she said. Note: This story has been corrected. The original application numbers for Brown University were incorrect.