Princeton received 26,505 applications for admission to the Class of 2017

The University received a total of 26,505 applications for the Class of 2017, according to an announcement issued on Jan. 26. The figure represents a slight decrease from the previous year, when the University received 26,663 applicants for the Class of 2016.

This year’s total includes 3,810 applicants who applied last fall for early action admission. Of these early applicants, 679 were offered a spot in the Class of 2017 in December. Of the remaining early applicants, 2,777 were deferred to the regular admission applicant pool. The number of early applications increased by 10.7 percent this year, up from 3,443 who applied early for the Class of 2016.

Last year, the University also saw a slight decrease in total application numbers following the all-time largest applicant pool for the Class of 2015. This decrease comes after a continual upward trend and coincides with the University’s reinstatement of the early action admission program for the Class of 2016.

Dean of Admission Janet Rapelye said that it is still too early to attribute the smaller applicant numbers to the early action program.

"All of this is speculation because we only have the numbers from the students from the past two years," Rapelye said. "It may be because the students who are most serious about us are using our early action program, and students who are most interested in other schools are applying to their early action program."

Following last year’s over-enrollment for the Class of 2016, the Office of Admission will accept a slightly smaller number of applicants for the next three incoming classes. While class sizes in previous years have hovered around 1,308 students, the Office of Admission will be aiming for a freshman class size of 1,290 students in this admission cycle.

"Our yield was very strong last year, and we're very mindful of that going into [this year's] process," Rapelye said.

The applicants will be notified of their admission decision by late March, and all accepted students will have until May 1 to reply to the University’s offer.

http://www.dailyprincetonian.com/2013/01/26/32463/



Princeton University has received 26,505 applications for admission to the Class of 2017. The applicants include 3,810 candidates who applied last fall through single-choice early action, an increase of 11 percent over last year’s early action pool.

This is the second year since 2006 that the University has offered an early application round for prospective students whose first college choice is Princeton. The University's undergraduate admission office offered admission to 697 of the early applicants in mid-December.

During the past nine years, the University has seen a 93.5 percent increase in applications. This year’s applicant pool, which is slightly smaller than last year's applicant pool of 26,663, is the third-largest applicant pool in the University’s history.

"We are delighted with the strength of the applicant pool and we have begun the evaluation process," Dean of Admission Janet Rapelye said. "We have been monitoring the demographic changes in the national high school population, and it is not surprising to see a plateau in the applicant pool. At the same time, we are seeing steady interest in the University from the U.S. and abroad due to our academic programs as well as our generous financial aid that is extended to international students."

Through the University's pioneering no-loan financial aid program, all students on financial aid are offered grants that do not have to be repaid — giving students an opportunity to graduate debt-free. The admission process is need-blind for both domestic and international students. A large number of this year’s applicants also applied for the University’s financial aid program.

Applicants will be notified of admission decisions by late March.

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