Correction appended.
The number of early decision applications to Dartmouth rose by 12.5 percent this year, an "all-time high," according to Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid Maria Laskaris '84. The 1,571 students who applied early decision for the class of 2013 is the largest number of early decision applicants on record, Laskaris said.
Early decision applicants will likely constitute less than 10 percent of the total applicant pool once regular decision applications are received on Jan. 1, Laskaris said.
Last year, 1,428 people submitted early decision applications, a 8.7 percent increase from 2006, according to Laskaris.
The Office of Undergraduate Admissions aims to admit between 390 and 400 students from the early decision applicant pool this year, Laskaris said, which would result in a 24.8-25.5 percent early acceptance rate. Early decision applicants will be notified of their admissions status in early December.
Though specific demographic statistics for the early applicants to the Class of 2013 have not been fully processed and released, Laskaris said she has noticed certain significant demographic increases thus far.
"There has been an increase in female applicants, international applicants, in first-generation college students, an increase in students of color that are applying and an increase in geographical diversity among applicants," she said. "I think that Dartmouth's affordability and accessibility is really resonating with students and families."
In January 2008, the College announced a major overhaul of its financial aid programs: Dartmouth no longer charges tuition for students whose families earn less than $75,000 a year, offers need-blind admissions for international students and has replaced student loans with grants and scholarships.
Despite the College's planned $40 million budget cut, announced Friday, both Wright and Chairman of the Board of Trustees Ed Haldeman '70 have said that financial aid will be unaffected by budget shifts.
But even as Laskaris reaffirmed that pledge, she noted that the families of many applicants who normally would have had the means to pay for tuition in recent years may no longer be able to do so due to the global financial crisis, which could strain the College's financial aid system.
The admissions review process at Dartmouth is need-blind, so students' financial needs will not affect the admissions office's decision, according to Laskaris.
Yale, the only other Ivy League institution to report its early decision statistics so far, saw an increase of more than 10.4 percent in early action applications. Yale received approximately 5,400 early action applications, a record for the university, according to the Yale Daily News.
Yale also announced sweeping changes to its financial aid program in January.
Six of the eight schools in the Ivy League have some type of early decision or early action program. Harvard and Princeton University terminated their early application programs last year.
It is hard to determine whether an increase in early decision applicants indicates that there will be an increase in regular admissions applications, Laskaris said, adding that she was sure many students would submit applications for the regular decision deadline.
"I think that students will continue to apply to Dartmouth in great numbers because of its strength in academics, its amount of opportunities and its comprehensive financial aid program," she said.
The original version of this article incorrectly stated that 1,397 people submitted early decision applications in fall 2007. In fact, 1,428 people did.
