Dartmouth received five percent fewer applications for admission this year compared to last year.
This year the College received 9,700 applicants for the Class of 2005, which marks a significant decline from last year's applicant pool of 10,165.
Defending the decline, Dean of Admissions Karl Furstenberg said the drop may be due to "a sense among high school students that it is impossible to get into Ivy-quality schools." He noted, "less competitive applicants are taking themselves out," while the most talented students continue to apply.
However, a number of Ivy League schools noticed an increase in number of applications this year. Columbia University and the University of Pennsylvania both reported an increase in applicants of 3.4 and 1.5 percent respectively. Yale University also had a record number of regular decision applicants this year.
Despite the decrease, Furstenberg said he was encouraged by the strong academics that characterize this year's applicant pool. The average SAT score of applicants increased about seven points from last year's composite average of 1363, Furstenberg said.
Another change from last year is the drop in male applicants. Dartmouth has traditionally had more male than female applicants. This year, the ratio is much closer to 50:50 male to female.
Of the applicants, 20 to 22 percent are students of color. According to Furstenberg, the number of Asian and Latino applicants from last year is up about seven percent, which makes this the second straight year in which minority applications from these groups have increased. The number of international students applying to the College, roughly 1,300 this year, also increased for the second year in a row.
The number of African-American applicants decreased this year, but Furstenberg had no explanation for this phenomenon. Last year, the percentage of African-American applicants was at its highest point in 12 years.
After letters of acceptance are sent out to the Class of 2005 on April 4th, the College will begin a series of programs for the prospective students. Furstenberg said that "as always, its up to the Dartmouth community to convince students to come -- that's what makes or breaks the application process."
Furstenberg said his goal for April programming is to continue the Admission Department's emphasis on diversity and find ways to help applicants with financial needs.
Overall, Furstenberg said he was "happy with the quality and diversity of the pool," and added that "things are looking very strong, despite fewer applicants."
