The University accepted 593 of the 2,039 early decision applicants to the Class of 2009, Dean of Admission Janet Rapelye said. This year's 29 percent acceptance rate was down from 32 percent last year for the early decision class.
"The quality of the students this year was really strong," Rapelye said.
The average SAT score was 730 for the verbal section and 730 for the math section and 94 percent of the admitted students were in the top 10 percent of their high school classes, Rapelye added.
"We had to defer some very powerful students," Rapelye said. "The majority of students we defer, but we do let some students know that they should look at other schools if it is clear that they will not be competitive in the spring."
The 2,039 applicants represented a 12 percent increase from last year, in part because the University offered students new ways to apply, Rapelye said. The University allowed students to use the common application, with a supplement, and to submit their applications online.
Rapelye said one quarter of the applicants chose to use the common application.
"Students are using all the options," she said. "I think this is really great."
The greater number of applicants may also be explained by an increase in outreach.
"We've been doing more outreach with [high school] students," Rapelye said. "Making a trip to Asia was an extraordinary opportunity."
The University accepted 94 students to the engineering school, compared to 80 students last year. Rapelye noted that there was no major shift in students' interests toward the sciences or humanities.
Twenty-three percent of the admitted students are students of color — up from 18 percent last year — and nine percent are international. The students also represent 43 U.S. states and the District of Columbia.
Though she said she did not have all the characteristics for the class available, Rapelye pointed out one particular trait.
"This year we took a number of students who are very talented brass players," she said. "The orchestra conductor had rated them and let us know."
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