Graduate School sees rise in applications

Applications to the University's graduate college rose 23.5 percent this past year, while the number of students admitted remained virtually constant. Many involved with the graduate application process attribute the rise in part to the recent economic downturn.

This year, there will be 566 first year graduate students here, up from 562 last year. While the number of first-year graduate students has remained relatively steady, the graduate school now has 90 more students than it did at this time last year, because of relatively small size of last year's outgoing class.

The economics department saw an especially sharp rise in number of applicants this year, with an increase of 50 percent, said economics professor and director of graduate admissions in economics Bo Honore. Specifically, he said applications among U.S. citizens have doubled, and applications from the most select undergraduate institutions have tripled. He added that the increases at the University mirror similar increases at other schools.

Honore said he hopes the larger pool of applicants will lead to a more talented group of graduate students.

Similarly, the graduate programs in electrical engineering and operation and financial engineering saw application increases of 30 and 67 percent, respectively. Assistant Dean for graduate affairs at the engineering school David Mendez explained that an advanced degree in engineering opens the door to increased job opportunities.

One of the largest constraints on the size of the graduate programs is housing, said William Russel, dean of the graduate school. The University currently houses 76 percent of its graduate students, and would like that number to be higher. However, the tight housing market in the Princeton area makes it difficult to achieve that goal.

Financial aid presents another major constraint. Only a very small number of graduate students pay for their education and support themselves during the course of their studies, said Russel. Instead, many rely on grants and fellowships offered by the University, he added.

While the Graduate School must impose limits on the number of students to be accepted, the ultimate admission decisions are largely up to the individual departments.

Russel sees the increase in applications at least in part as a reflection of the improvements at the Graduate School. "Princeton has been working very hard over the past decade at least to make its graduate programs stronger and graduate life more appealing," he said.

In addition, Russel said he sees a connection between the ease of applying to the graduate school online — particularly for international students — and the rise in applications.

"I suspect we will get even more applicants in the future," Mendez said.