Only 9.9 percent of applicants were accepted.
By: Jeff Milgram
Minorities make up more than a third of the students accepted to Princeton University this fall.
Princeton has offered admission to 9.9 percent of applicants for the class of 2007, or 1,570 of the record 15,725 students who applied. Of those accepted, 534 will be from minority families.
As applications increase, the university is getting more selective. Last year, the university accepted 10.9 percent, or 1,585, of the 14,521 applications.
A university spokesman said the figure on minority acceptances has remained steady over the past few years.
Minorities made up 28 percent of the 14,521 students who applied to Princeton for 2002-2003 and 29 percent of the students who enrolled.
This year’s pool includes 591 early admissions, compared to 585 last year. The class of 2007 is eventually expected to include 1,180 students, compared with the current freshman class of 1,166.
"From among a very large applicant group of very able and talented young men and women, we made a lot of difficult decisions in attempting to enroll a relatively small freshman class that is characterized by a variety of academic and non-academic interests, exceptional skills and talents, experiences, aspirations and backgrounds," said Dean of Admission Fred Hargadon.
"We made those decisions to the best of our ability, and no one is more aware than those of us on the admission office staff of just how many terrific applicants we ultimately had to disappoint," he said.
Of those offered admission this year, 34 percent are from minority backgrounds, either U.S. citizens or permanent residents; 10.5 percent are sons and daughters of alumni; 10.3 percent are international students, representing 57 countries; and 7.1 percent represent the first generation of their families to attend college.
Approximately 50 percent of students are eligible to receive financial aid.
This year’s 8.3-percent rise in applications was across the board for all categories of students.
Dean Hargadon is retiring in June after 15 years as Princeton’s dean of admission and will be succeeded by Janet Lavin Rapelye, the dean of admission at Wellesley College for the past 12 years. "I happily turn over what I believe will become an increasingly difficult responsibility to my recently named successor," Dean Hargadon said.
Applicants for the class of 2007 came from 6,051 different secondary schools, including 933 schools in 117 countries outside the United States.
In recent years, more than half of applicants have come from public schools.
Depending on the number of accepted students who choose to enroll, additional offers may be made between now and September to applicants on the waiting list.