Applicants soared and the admittance rate plummeted for the Class of 2007, but the yield for admitted students choosing to enroll held level at 51 percent.
Coming off of a record number 11,855 applicants and a record low admit rate of 17.7 percent, Dean of Admissions Karl Furstenberg previously expressed concerns that the yield would drop because such a strong applicant pool would undoubtedly receive offers of admission from other comparably competitive institutions. This year's yield, however, dropped just one-tenth of a percent from last year's 51.1 percent.
The Admissions Office was looking for a class of 1,065 to 1,070 students for the 2007s, Furstenberg said, and initial enrollment numbers are pretty close to right on, as 1,073 have expressed intent to enroll at Dartmouth. However, Furstenberg noted that there is a small amount of attrition each year between May 1 and the September start of school.
"Between now and Sept. 15 some will choose to defer and some will change their mind," Furstenberg said, adding that the number is usually between 25 and 30. The deadline to defer admission is June 1. "We will probably use a small number off the waitlist to provide some coverage for summer attrition," he said.
The buzzword in recent years for higher education admissions has been diversity, and the Class of 2007 follows suit. The class is comprised of 32.4 percent students of color, Furstenberg said, a record figure. The 146 Asian-Americans comprise a record 14 percent of the class, while the 83 African-Americans constituting eight percent of the class represents a 10-year high for that group, he said. The number of white students admitted declined for the second straight year.
Furstenberg said that as "we are approaching 40 percent non-whites on campus" it "represents real progress."
International students reached record numbers in the class as well. Sixty-nine of them will enroll next year, constituting the largest contingent of international students ever, at 6.4 percent.
Overall the class represents a larger degree of geographical diversity than in previous years, Furstenberg said, including "a big, big swing in international students and U.S. citizens abroad."
Financial aid also increased to a recent high, both in the number of students receiving an award and the average package. 495 students, constituting 46.1 percent of the class, will be receiving aid next year, with the average scholarship totaling $24,089, up from $22,500 last year.
The significant increase is a result of the tuition increase announced earlier in the year, the increased diversity of the class and the downturn in the economy, Furstenberg said.
SAT scores for the class were high, with 60 percent of next year's class scoring above 700 on the verbal section and 62 percent above 700 on the math. Students with scores above 750 on verbal and math comprised 35 and 33 percent of the class, respectively. The class will also include 150 valedictorians, a number comparable to previous classes.
Another hot item of discussion is the beneficial treatment given to sons and daughters of alumni, known as legacies. This year 88 legacies chose to enroll in the class of 2007, constituting 8.2 percent of the overall enrollment.
Extracurricular activities within the class varied widely, with 57.9 percent having participated in community service, 38.9 percent in music activities, 20.9 percent as editors of publications and 18.8 percent as student government officers. 182 of the admitted class were recruited athletes, comprising 17 percent of the overall class, a number "slightly down" from previous years, Furstenberg said.
"It was just such an amazing applicant pool of interesting and unique students. Our acceptances were students of the highest caliber, and that will be represented in the class itself," Furstenberg said."
