Record Numbers Apply For Early Action: 1,137 Admitted

December 16, 1999

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HARVARD GAZETTE ARCHIVES

A record 6,026 students applied for admission to the Class of 2004 under the College’s Early Action program this year, and 1,137 were admitted. Last year, 1,185 were admitted from a pool of 4,584.

The unprecedented increase in Early Action applications was due to three factors: (1) an option, sanctioned by the National Association for College Admission Counseling, that allows students to apply to more than one Early Action college, (2) the cumulative effect of more comprehensive recruiting in recent years, and (3) concomitant public awareness of Harvard’s new financial aid program, announced in September 1998 by Dean Jeremy Knowles.

The slight decline in the number of admitted students occurred despite the fact that Early Action application numbers rose more than 30 percent this year. "The Admissions Committee applied the same standards it has used in the past: we have to be careful to admit only those who are absolutely certain to be admitted later," said William R. Fitzsimmons, Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid. "In recent years between 900 and 1,200 students have been admitted early, and this year’s experience provides yet another indication that this may be the range we can expect in the future."

Between 2,000 and 2,100 students are admitted for each year’s freshman class, and the Admissions Committee has a stated policy that applying early does not offer students a better chance of admission. "Harvard wants to be able to continue to respond to the best applicants whenever they apply," said Fitzsimmons.

Harvard’s Early Action program was instituted nearly 25 years ago and it has become increasingly popular, particularly in the past decade as more students have begun to apply "early" to American colleges. A major change occurred in 1995-96 when several other major institutions adopted binding early decision programs. This development attracted intense media attention, perhaps explaining a significant jump that year in Early Action applications at Harvard and at a number of other institutions. Media focus on early admission has continued unabated since.

"The real change for Harvard in the past few years is the timing of applications from our top students each year, the 2,000 or so applicants we ultimately admit. More of them want to apply to college early, and they find the non-binding Early Action program attractive," said Fitzsimmons.

Marlyn McGrath Lewis, Director of Admissions, reported that the Committee was extremely impressed with the quality of the applicant pool. "Students presented a remarkable array of academic, extracurricular, and personal accomplishments," she said. "The admitted group included unusually promising potential scholars in all fields, some musicians of rare talent, and many with well-developed interests in the arts and athletics. Most of all, the Admissions Committee is impressed with their personal qualities. We believe they have much to offer their teachers and fellow classmates in the years ahead."

While geographical distribution was roughly similar to last year’s, there were somewhat more students from New England and the Mid-Atlantic regions and fewer from Canada and abroad. As to academic interests, the humanities led the way this year (with 26.4 percent) while 25.2 percent of the admitted students declared their intention to concentrate in biology, last year’s leader. Other areas remained similar to last year’s.

Nearly 48.4 percent of the admitted students are female, compared with 47.3 percent last year. Minority students also fared well: African-American students comprise almost 7.7 percent of the admitted group, up from 5.9 percent last year; Latino students went from 6.3 percent to 7.1 percent; Asian Americans declined slightly to 19.9 percent from 20.5 percent; and Native American students comprise 0.53 percent of the group compared with 0.68 percent last year.

Letters were mailed Dec. 15. Final decisions were deferred for 4,617 students; 220 applications were denied; 34 were incomplete; and 18 withdrew. Harvard expects that as many as 90 percent of the 1,137 admitted students will choose to enroll next September. "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," Lewis said.

The College has increased its outreach both nationally and internationally over the past decade. Harvard now travels extensively with other colleges, including several in the Ivy League, this year visiting 100 cities (40 in the spring and 60 in the fall) to speak with students, parents, and high school counselors. Harvard also visits many areas on its own and relies heavily on 6,000 alumni and alumnae around the world to supplement its recruiting and to interview promising candidates. Direct mail and student travel also provide crucial links in the recruiting network.

Harvard’s new financial aid program has been highlighted in all recruitment presentations. Harvard increased its scholarship budget by 20 percent last year and now spends more than $53 million on scholarships and oversees more than $90 million in total financial aid. Nearly 50 percent of undergraduates are on scholarship, while 70 percent receive some form of financial aid.

Under the new financial aid program, each scholarship recipient (both current and future undergraduates) has been given $2,000 more in annual scholarship aid and can thereby reduce loan, term-time work, or summer work expectations accordingly. Students can also use outside scholarships to reduce their loan and work obligations. More than 200 students have won so much in outside awards that they have eliminated their job and loan obligations completely, a saving to those students of over $25,000 over four years.

"Students have been excited by the freedom and flexibility the new program offers," observed Fitzsimmons. "Students have much greater opportunity to take full advantage of the rich academic and extracurricular opportunities, the 250-plus extracurricular organizations, the 41 intercollegiate sports, and the many options for seminars, tutorials, research, and internships of all kinds provided by the College. In addition, they graduate with lower levels of educational debt, and they are able to consider a wider array of professional opportunities."

Admissions staff, alumni and alumnae, and students will communicate with admitted students over the next few months to address any questions they may have about the College. "The success of the soon-to-be-completed Harvard Campaign, which has brought with it new and refurbished facilities and nearly unlimited opportunities of all kinds including the new financial aid program, has helped to sustain Harvard’s appeal to many of the country’s and the world’s most promising students," said Fitzsimmons.

All admitted students will be invited to visit Cambridge, especially over the weekend of April 28-29, when a special program will be conducted for them. Students have until May 1 to notify the College of their intention to enroll.