DARTMOUTH admits 2,190 of 16,536 for Class of '12

From its largest pool of applicants for undergraduate admissions to date, Dartmouth invites 2,190 to join the Class of 2012
Probably 1,080-1,090 of those admitted will matriculate next fall
Dartmouth announced today that it has extended offers of admission to 2,190 applicants for its Class of 2012, from a pool of 16,536 - the largest of number of applicants in the College's history and 2,361 more than applied for last year's entering class -- an increase of more than 16.6 percent.
"The pool was exceptional and we all can't wait to see what these talented and energetic students will bring to the Dartmouth community."
- Maria Laskaris
Approximately 1,080-1,090 of those admitted are expected to matriculate at Dartmouth next fall.
"The large number of students applying combined with their impressive academic credentials were some of the factors that made this the most competitive admissions year in Dartmouth history," said Maria Laskaris, Dartmouth dean of admissions and financial aid. The admissions rate was tighter this year at 13.2 percent, down by two percent from the 2011 class rate.
The group of applicants admitted is also record-setting for Dartmouth in the areas of academic achievement and diversity.
Of the students admitted, 93.4 percent were ranked in the top 10 percent of their secondary school's graduating class, including 38.5 percent who were valedictorians and 11.3 percent who were salutatorians. The mean of their SAT scores are: 726 for Verbal, 731 for Math and 726 for Writing.
This year's admittees also includes the largest number of students of color in the College's history: 944, or 43 percent of those admitted. Of those invited to join the Class of 2012, a total of 403 are Asian-American and the largest minority group; 224 are African-American; 216 are Latino; 82 are Native American and 19 are multi-racial. An aggressive outreach and communications campaign is credited for the increased diversity this year.
With regard to financial aid, Dartmouth administrators project that 51%, or 556, of the admittees who matriculate will receive need-based financial aid and that the class that enrolls in the fall will receive $17.6 million in scholarship assistance. The financial aid office is also projecting an average scholarship of $31,726, compared to an average scholarship of $30,064 for the Class of 2011. Administrators say the increase in the number of students receiving scholarship assistance and the increase in the size of the scholarship award are a direct reflection of the no-loan component of Dartmouth's new financial aid initiatives announced in January.
Other highlights:
* The numbers of men and women admitted were virtually even -1,090 and 1,100 respectively.
* The College admitted 178 international students representing 59 nations this year.
* The Class of 2012 includes 324 first-generation college students, comprising 14.8% of the admitted group.
* Admittees come from across the nation as well as around the world: 324 from New England; 615 from the Mid-Atlantic; 216 from the Midwest; 368 from the South; and 441 from the West, with the remainder having a non-U.S. address.
"This year was a record year in terms of number of applicants, the selectivity, overall academic credentials and the diversity of backgrounds, talents, experiences and perspectives," said Laskaris. "The pool was exceptional and we all can't wait to see what these talented and energetic students will bring to the Dartmouth community."