HARVARD GAZETTE ARCHIVES

New Financial Aid Program Spurs Record Numbers For Early Action

A record 4,588 students applied for admission to the Class of 2003 under the College's Early Action program this year, and an unprecedented 1,186 were admitted. Last year, 1,050 were admitted from a pool of 4,211.

"Both the numbers and the quality of the applicant pool have risen this year," said William R. Fitzsimmons, Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid, "and the admitted students come from a much wider range of backgrounds. The attractiveness of our new financial aid program [announced in September by Dean Jeremy R. Knowles] was evident this fall as we conducted our recruiting here and abroad. International students more than doubled from 23 to 51, Canadians increased from 14 to 27, and the numbers of minority students from all backgrounds increased."

Director of Financial Aid James S. Miller reported that more prospective students than ever before contacted the Financial Aid Office in the fall to ask about financial aid. "Students and their families are impressed with the freedom and flexibility that our new financial aid program offers. The idea of being able to reduce college loan indebtedness and have more time during the school year for academic and extracurricular opportunities makes Harvard a much more viable alternative than ever before," Miller said. Nearly 50 percent of Harvard and Radcliffe undergraduates are on scholarship, while 70 percent receive some kind of financial aid.

"The admitted students bring with them an impressive array of talents," said Director of Admissions Marlyn McGrath Lewis. "Students with musical and artistic talents abound, as do those with unusually well-developed interests in drama, athletics, and social service."

Applications for Early Action rose dramatically four years ago for the Class of 2000 when many national institutions switched from Early Action to Early Decision plans (which require a binding commitment on admitted students to attend). Applications for the Class of 2000 numbered 3,909, compared with 2,990 the previous year. "Applications for the Classes of 2001 and 2002 continued to hover around 4,000," said Marlyn McGrath Lewis, "and while this year's rise is not as dramatic as the Class of 2000, it is nonetheless a sign of Harvard's increasing appeal to many of the world's strongest students. The flexibility of Early Action in allowing admitted students to apply to other institutions and compare in April the best admissions and financial aid offers helps ensure that students make informed and thoughtful decisions about where to matriculate. No doubt Harvard's leading graduation rate of 97 percent is in some part due to the freedom students have to consider their college choice throughout the senior year," she said.

Beyond the increased numbers of international and Canadian students, there were, in percentage terms, relatively few changes geographically within the United States. There were no significant changes in the fields of concentrations in which admitted students expressed interest.

Minority students did very well in the competition for admission to the Class of 2003. Compared with last year, Asian Americans admitted to the Class of 2003 increased from 235 to 243, African Americans from 52 to 70, Mexican Americans from 18 to 25, Puerto Ricans from 6 to 16, other Hispanic Americans from 31 to 34, and Native Americans from 4 to 8.

More than 47 percent of the admitted students are women, compared with 45 percent last year. This increase is part of a general upward trend in recent years, reflecting long-standing recruiting efforts to ensure equal access for women.

Letters were mailed Dec. 11. Final decisions were deferred on 3,235 students, 113 applications were denied, 46 were incomplete, and 8 withdrew. "We expect that as many as 90 percent of the admitted students will choose to enroll next September," said Fitzsimmons, "and alumni and alumnae will help us reach out to them over the upcoming weeks and months to address any questions they may have about the College." All admitted students will be invited to visit Cambridge over the weekend of April 24 and 25, when a special program will be conducted for them. Students have until May 1 to notify the College of their intention to enroll.