Princeton University has the highest percentage of African-American freshmen in the Ivy League this year, according to a survey conducted by The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education. There are 112 African-American first-year students at Princeton this year, comprising 9.5 percent of the Class of 2005, the report said.
The reason for the increase was not that more African-American students were offered admission this year, but that more students who were offered admission chose to enroll, Dean of Admission Fred Hargadon said in an e-mail.
"Until this year, our 'yield' (i.e., the percentage of students who accept our offer of admission) on admitted African-American students has been just under 50 percent," Hargadon said. "This year it was just over 60 percent."
He said he hopes this number will rise in the future.
"We're obviously pleased, but not satisfied," Hargadon said. "We'd like the yield to be even higher in the years to come."
Hargadon attributed the increase to the University's no-loan financial aid policy.
Third World Center director Heddye Ducree agreed that the financial aid policy changes were important.
"In several conversations and exchanges with freshmen, I have heard that the new financial aid policy did play a role in their decision to attend Princeton," Ducree said.
However, other factors also play an important role in students' choices, both Ducree and Hargadon said.
Hargadon emphasized the importance of student visits to campus and noted that the yield was near 80 percent this year for African-American students who visited Princeton during April hosting.
"We think that having more African-American students spend time on campus during April hosting helped," he said. "It gave them a chance to live on campus for a few days, to meet lots of Princeton students and faculty and to get a better feel for the campus."
The University has made progress in attracting African-American students, Ducree said. She added that she was "impressed by the number of interested students of color on campus last week at an event hosted by the Admission Office."
Ducree said though the financial aid policy is significant, it is "equally important . . . for students to feel a sense of belonging and support once they are on campus."
She said every member of the University community must help for the upward trend in African-American enrollment to continue.
"It will take all of us working together, projecting an optimistic view of the Princeton experience and providing support to students once they decide to enroll," she said.
Editors from the Journal of Blacks in Higher Education were unavailable for comment.
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