Admittance rate falls to 20 percent
Acceptance letters to potential members of the Class of 2006 will be sent out tomorrow in a year that saw fewer students admitted despite an overall rise in the total number of applications. The overall acceptance rate declined to 20 percent from 22.8 percent a year ago, when a bumper crop of matriculating '05s overwhelmed the College's residential system. Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid Karl Furstenburg said this year's number of admittances, which fell to 2077 from 2220 a year ago, was reduced to alleviate the current housing shortage. Meanwhile, the number of non-white students admitted has risen to the highest levels in the history of the College. Students of color sent more applications than ever before and received 37 percent of acceptance letters, up from 34.5 percent in 2001 and 28 percent just four years ago. The percentage increase in minority applicants was "the biggest among all the Ivies," according to Furstenburg, "and that increase is pretty consistent across the board." Furstenburg attributed the increase in part to stepped up recruiting efforts by the College. "We did more campus visitation programs this year," he said, explaining that minority students who have an opportunity to see the campus first-hand are generally more likely to apply. The considerable increase in the total number of applications occurred despite fears that the events of Sept.