The Committee on Admissions and Financial Aid, as it begins to create the Class of 2001, has admitted the largest proportion of women in the history of the College's Early Action program.

The Admissions Committee admitted 902 applicants from the Early Action pool this year, compared to 985 students admitted early to the Class of 2000. Nearly 47 percent of students admitted early this year are women, compared to 44 percent last year.

"We are extremely pleased to see so many talented women admitted to the Class of 2001," said Director of Admissions Marlyn McGrath Lewis. "This year's Early Action results underline the efficacy of our efforts to attract accomplished women to the College -- through direct mail and special searches, as well as through the outreach conducted by alumni/ae on local Schools Committees."

The number of applications for early admission to the Class of 2001 set another record by the slightest of margins. Applications rose to 3,911, edging past last year's 3,909. This was the seventh consecutive year of increases, which included a jump last year from 2,990 to 3,909.

"It appears that we may finally be witnessing a leveling off of a long upward trend toward more students applying to college early in their senior year," said William R. Fitzsimmons, Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid. "Last year, after Yale, Princeton, and Stanford adopted binding early decision programs, there were record numbers of early applications here and elsewhere. So far this year, there is no word of any colleges with changes of the magnitude we saw last year."

Early Action letters were mailed on Dec. 13. Final decisions were deferred on 2,739 students, 196 applications were denied, 31 were incomplete, and 43 changed to Regular Action status. Of the 902 students admitted early, perhaps as many as 85 to 90 percent are expected to matriculate in September.

The geographical distribution of early acceptances remained relatively unchanged from last year, with the exception of a small increase in students admitted from the West Coast and slightly fewer from the East Coast. Also unchanged from last year are the fields of concentration in which admitted students have expressed interest.

This year's early acceptances show the College's continuing success in attracting talented minority students. Asian-Americans make up about 19 percent of the early acceptances, more than 6 percent are African-American students, and another 6 percent are students of Hispanic origin.

The Admissions Office ascribed a large measure of Harvard's enduring popularity among high school seniors to the College's financial aid programs.

"We will probably offer more than $70 million in financial aid this year," said James S. Miller, Director of Financial Aid. "More than the magnitude of aid, what people appreciate is that admission to the College remains need-blind -- absolutely independent of a family's ability to pay -- and that the College meets each family's demonstrated need in full."

"The popularity of the College is also attributable to the stellar reputation of the faculty, the high quality of facilities, and the accomplishments of undergraduates and alumni," Lewis said. "Students continue to rave about the renovations of Annenberg Hall and of Sanders Theatre."

Another big draw is the quality of the student body.

"Undergraduates and alumni often remark on the quality of their classmates to explain their decision to attend Harvard," Fitzsimmons said. "And the recent announcement of the large numbers of Rhodes (7) and Marshall (8) recipients helps to confirm the College's attempts to identify people who will be successful during their college years and beyond."