Nearly 20,500 students have applied for acceptance to the Class of 2019, representing a more than six percent increase in applications over last year, the College announced yesterday. This follows a more than 10 percent increase in the number of students who applied to Dartmouth through the early decision program.
Last year, the College saw a 14 percent decrease in applications, when 19,235 students applied for the Class of 2018. While this year’s admissions statistics represent an increase over last year, the total number of applicants is lower than the numbers received in 2011, 2012 and 2013, when application numbers were 22,385, 23,110 and 22,416, respectively.
While the office did not report a specific reason for the decline in applications for the Class of 2018, some attribute the drop in applications to the negative publicity the College has received in the media in recent years.
Dean of admissions Maria Laskaris says she credits this year’s increase in applications to a variety of factors, including the visible successes of students both on and off campus.
“We have been highlighting everything from global opportunities and internship opportunities so that prospective students get a broader sense of what types of programs are available to them if they do choose to apply,” she said.
The College has been working to highlight President Phil Hanlon’s vision of experiential learning, Laskaris said, as well as new and growing opportunities like the Neukom Digital Arts Leadership and Innovation Lab. Such programs demonstrate to prospective students the diverse opportunities available at Dartmouth, she said.“We have been working closely with the Center for Professional Development to highlight the successes our students have, regardless of their major,” Laskaris said.
Matt Norris, a regular decision applicant for the Class of 2019, said that the campus tour exposed him to the variety of academic and extracurricular programs offered at the College. Norris listed several academic interests and said he was looking forward to pursuing all of them at Dartmouth, where he said innovations like drill enhance student learning.
College consultant Michele Hernandez ’89, founder of Hernandez College Consulting, said that she works with approximately 40 to 50 students a year throughout the application process. She said that students’ primary concerns when applying to college vary from the institution’s academics to the social scene the school offers.
Hernandez said she noticed among students she has worked with that students choose to apply to schools where they picture themselves feeling comfortable and thriving academically.
“When applying to Dartmouth students were concerned about the social scene and the bad publicity Greek life and the social climate has received in recent years,” Hernandez said.
Proximity to home, academic departments and faculty also factor into a student’s decision to apply, she said.
Norris cited the energy of current students on campus as a compelling reason for his application.
“Everyone seemed to be rushing to be somewhere, but they all seemed excited, as if they were rushing to be somewhere because they were so passionate and excited about what they were doing,” he said. “Being around that type of energy is inspirational.”
Laskaris says the applicant pool for the Class of 2019 is strong and that she is excited to see how the admissions process will conclude in the next several months.
In December, Dartmouth admitted 483 students to the Class of 2019 from a pool of 1,859 early decision applicants for an early acceptance rate of nearly 26 percent. The Office of Admissions expects that students admitted early decision will comprise about 41 percent of the Class of 2019.
Princeton has received a total of 26,993 applications for admission to the Class of 2019, the second largest in its history. The University of Pennsylvania received 37,264 applications, representing a four percent increase from last year’s 35,865. Brown University, Columbia University, Cornell University, Harvard University and Yale University have yet to release their application numbers.
Admissions decisions will be released on March 31, the College announced.
