C.U. Admits 19.1% of Applicants

For the first time in the history of Cornell, the admit rate for the incoming freshman class dropped below 20 percent. After seeing a rise in early admissions applicants, Cornell administrators projected an increase in the number of this year’s regular decision applicants, which reached an all time high of 34,381.
The admit rate for the Class of 2013, which was released after the selection process was officially completed yesterday, fell to the unprecedented level of 19.1 percent. While Cornell admitted 36.68 percent of Early Decision applicants, regular admissions only accepted 17.2 percent of applicants.
The admit rate last year was 20.4 percent, indicating that the rate dropped 1.3 percent. Given the admit rate and the number of applicants reported by the University, The Sun calculated that around 6,567 applicants were accepted between early and regular decision. 5,318 regular decision applicants were offered admission, as calculated from University reports that 1,249 Early Decision applicants were accepted.
Due to the economic downturn, Provost Kent Fuchs announced an increase of 100 students this year, raising the usual class size of 3,050 to 3,150. Using these numbers, the Sun calculated a yield rate — the number of students admitted divided by the number of applicants who attend — of 47.97 percent.
With 3,311 potential students placed on a waitlist, there are still many hopefuls awaiting a final decision. Unfortunately, 22,434 applicants were neither accepted nor waitlisted but were rejected by the University. Last year, 6,834 applicants were accepted, 3,432 were placed on a waitlist and
19,305 were denied admission.[img_assist|nid=36449|title=2009 Ivy League Admission Rates|desc=|link=node|align=right|width=|height=0]
Evan Leichter of Short Hills, N.J., was one of the 6,567 hopefuls who received an invitation of matriculation from the University.
“I was pretty excited. I kind of had an idea beforehand because they had sent me a letter about the Pauline and Irving Tanner Dean’s Scholarship,”
Leichter said. “My mom went to Cornell and my cousin goes there now.
Although Leichter is rejoicing over his multiple acceptances, he is now faced with a difficult decision.
Also, I visited Cornell several times and liked it, so I decided I would apply. I’m not quite sure where I am going to go. Right now, I am deciding between Princeton, Brown and Cornell.”
Other Ivy League schools also experienced drops in admission rates.
Harvard admitted a record low 7 percent of students, according to The Harvard Crimson, while Yale admitted 7.5 percent, The Yale Daily News reported. The Brown Daily Herald reported that Brown’s admission rate dropped from 13.3 percent last year to 10.8 percent this year. According to The Dartmouth, the admission rate dropped 1.5 percent from last year, with 12 percent of applicants accepted.
However, the University of Pennsylvania’s admit rate rose to 17.1 percent this year, according to The Daily Pennsylvanian. Princeton’s admit rate rose to 9.79 percent, according to The Daily Princetonian, higher than the last two years. While Columbia College increased admissions rates, its School of Engineering and Applied Science admissions decreased, resulting in a combined 9.82 percent, according to The Columbia Spectator.