The number of regular applications for the Class of 1999 grew about four percent from last year, marking the fifth consecutive year of applicant pool growth, according to Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid Karl Fustenburg.
As of yesterday, the number of applicants has grown from 9,522 to 9,920 since last year, according to Admissions Office statistics.
Although the total number of minority applicants stayed about the same as last year, the number of African-Americans applying dropped about 12.7 percent, from 411 to 359. The number of Lainos jumped from 402 to 449.
Over the past five years, the number of applications has grown about 25 percent, Furstenberg said.
Furstenberg attributes the steady growth of applicants to a "combination of factors, including aggressive recruiting and Dartmouth's inevitable appeal."
There are more male than female applicants again this year. But over the last five years, the number of female applicants has increased by more than 1,000.
Furstenberg said he is looking to continue refining the recruitment process to attract top high school students.
This year's applicants again have the highest Scholastic Aptitude Test scores ever. The average math score jumped 10 points from 665 to 675. The verbal score edged up slightly from 593 to 597.
Furstenberg said the rise in SAT scores shows that not only is the size of the class increasing, but also the class's quality.
"Dartmouth continues to find the brightest, top students," Furstenberg said.
The College's picturesque location, smaller student body and top-caliber faculty offer much to students, Furstenberg said.
Dartmouth continues to be ranked as one of the best colleges in the country and that image attracts the brightest students, Furstenberg said.
Applicants came from as many as 3,727 different high schools, Furstenberg said. "The amount of different high schools presenting applications shows that Dartmouth is appealing to more communities," Furstenberg said.
The University of Pennsylvania currently boasts the highest upturn in its number of applicants at 9.5 percent from 13,789 to 15,100. Penn has a typical freshman class of 2,400 students.
Brown University's Admissions Office declared the largest applicant pool in its history, tying the College with a four percent rise to 13,221 prospective students. Brown has about 1,400 students in each of its classes.
Cornell University also received 20,578 applicants, an increase of 2.5 percent, for 3,200 places in its freshman class.
The Daily Princetonian reported a one percent drop in applications to Princeton University this year to 14,200 for 1,150 spots in next year's class.
Admissions statistics from Columbia University, Harvard University and Yale University are not yet available.
