Correction Appended
The number of early decision applicants for next fall’s entering class decreased by slightly less than four percent, after continuously increasing during the last seven years, the Office of Undergraduate Admissions reported Thursday. This year, the University received 3,456 early decision applications — 138 less than last fall.
Last fall, 3,594 Class of 2014 hopefuls applied to the University under its binding early decision plan. During the round of admissions for the Class of 2008, only 2,546 early applications were received.
Several of the University’s peer institutions experienced increases in early applications.
According to The Daily Pennsylvanian, Penn reported a 17-percent increase in early decision applications for its Class of 2015.
Likewise, Duke saw a 14-percent rise in its early applicants.
Duke’s Admissions Director Christoph Guttentag said he had never seen interest so high in his 28 years working in college admissions, according to the Duke Chronicle.
At Stanford, a seven-percent jump in early action applications from last year was reported by Director of Admissions Bob Patterson to The Stanford Daily.
Yale, however, saw essentially no change in applications, with the university receiving four fewer restricted early applications than last year, according to The Yale Daily News.
According to The New York Times, other institutions that reported significant jumps in the number of early applicants include Northwestern University, with a 26-percent increase for its binding early decision program, and MIT, which received 14 percent more early-action applicants.
Interim Deputy University Spokesperson Claudia Wheatley said that early decision applicants to the University will be notified of their admissions decisions next Thursday, Dec. 9.
Correction: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that Yale University received four percent fewer restricted early applications. In fact, it received four fewer applications, according to The Yale Daily News.
Original Author: Patricio Martinez