Of the 1,792 students accepted into the Class of 2010, 69.2 percent have so far decided to enroll, Dean of Admission Janet Rapelye said Thursday. That number translates to 1,239 students, slightly above the target class size of 1,220.
"We expect about 19 students to defer admission over the summer due to unexpected changes of plans," Rapelye said. "We'll keep the wait list open until June 30, but based on this number, I don't anticipate to use it."
This year's yield — the percentage of admitted students who choose to enroll — is slightly up from last year's figure of 67.8 percent at this time. Though yields for Yale and Harvard have not yet been released, Rapelye said this percentage is very competitive among top colleges. Last year, Yale reported a yield of about 70 percent and Harvard, which boasts the highest yield in the nation, reported about 80 percent.
Yield is often used as a measure for competitiveness, both by colleges and the groups that rank them.
Rapelye said she is very pleased with this year's yield.
"I fully expected to be going to the wait list at this point," she said. "The fact that we admitted slightly fewer students this year and still reported an increased yield means most students really want to come to Princeton."
She added that the University has boosted its efforts to attract admitted students. This year, regular decision students who attended April Hosting were encouraged to come to campus on Thursday, rather than Friday, to have more time to sit in on classes. Other efforts included financial aid awards to a greater number of students, along with increased use of phone-a-thons and online chat rooms for prospective students to communicate with each other.
"We don't have set quotas for our admits," Rapelye said. "We just want to make sure we are reaching out to as many qualified students as possible."
Class dynamics
Rapelye said she won't be able to define the class's unique strengths until September but is so far "delighted with its diversity and academic strength."
About 37 percent of students who have accepted Princeton's offer of admission this year are from a minority background, compared with 30 percent last year. The number of African-Americans has not changed, but the numbers of Asian-Americans, Native Americans and Hispanic and Latino students have increased.
The number of engineering candidates has also risen, from 17 percent last year to 18 percent for the Class of 2010. Rapelye said this increase is part of an ongoing trend to strengthen the University's engineering school, with efforts including increased interaction between engineering faculty and candidates, more tours of the E-quad and increased attention to strong engineering students during the admission process.
"I think Princeton is the best place in the country to be an engineer," Rapelye said. "Here, students have the advantages of both a strong liberal arts curriculum and a strong engineering curriculum. I am pleased with this figure and hope the University will continue to attract students to its engineering program."
The number of legacies is also up from last year's 12 percent to 14 percent for the incoming class. Also, men continue to outnumber women, 53 to 47 percent, contrary to the trend at other schools.
International students will comprise 10 percent of the class, an increase from last year's figure of 9.1 percent and the highest number in years, Rapelye said. She attributed the increase to the University's expanded efforts overseas.
"We have sent admissions staff members to several new countries this year as part of our plan to get Princeton's message out there," she said. "As I've said before, we can't expect students to come to us if we're not willing to go to them."
As part of the University's effort to expand its outreach, Rapelye said this year's class may have the highest number of enrolled students on financial aid in the school's history. For the Class of 2009, a record 55 percent of students received financial support, and Rapelye said she thinks this year's class may surpass that figure.
Though the number of students on financial aid has been fairly consistent for the past few years, the percentage has risen drastically since 10 years ago, when less than 40 percent of students received financial support. Rapelye attributes this rise to the shift to an entirely "no loan" policy and increased efforts to attract low-income students.
"We have great resources here, and we'd like to be able to offer those to as many worthy students as possible, regardless of their financial situation," Rapelye said.
She also said she expects a higher number of enrolled students representing the first generation in their families to attend college, though she didn't have the specific number of such students enrolled.
Average SAT scores for the Class of 2010 have not yet been reported.
Early Decision
Rapelye said the University will not switch next year from its Early Decision plan, which compels admitted students to enroll in the University, to the non-binding Early Action plan.
"We have already printed the Early Decision applications for the Class of 2011," she said. "However, every admissions policy is under constant evaluation, including that of Early Decision."
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