News Press reports that it has been an historic year for Harvard admissions with more that 30,000 students applying to the college, leading to an admission rate of 6.9 percent for the Class of 2014. Academic talent among applicants has also increased with many scoring excellent SAT scores and ranking first in their high school classes.
Harvard believes there are a number of factors which could have contributed to the rise in the number of applicants. William R, Fitzsimmons, the dean of admissions and financial aid stated "In these uncertain economic times, prospective students and their families have been particularly drawn to the excellence of Harvard's faculty and students, and its remarkable academic programs". Harvard also have a new School of Engineering and Applied Sciences which has expanded opportunities for students and therefore possibly encouraging more students to apply. The University has also developed closer relationships with Harvard's rich array of graduate and professional Schools. These type of resources give students a greater experience at Harvard. Harvard has also improved its financial aid initiatives over the years, therefore increasing its appeal to students from a wide range of backgrounds. More than 25 percent of admitted students are eligible for the financial aid program.
The quality of the applicants has also risen. The measure of academic talent of this years applicants showed an unprecedented level of excellence. More than 3,000 applicants scored a perfect 800 on the SAT and nearly 3,600 were ranked first in their high school, thus making the application process more competitive.
Here are the key points the article covered:
- Applications have doubled since 1994.
- Total Applications: 30,489
- Total offers extended: 2,100
- Admittance rate: 6.9%
- 10% of applications from U.S. territories and abroad.
- Foreign citizens make up 9 percent of the admitted students (189 in total)
- More than 3,000 applicants scored a perfect 800 on the SAT Critical Reading Test; 4,100 scored 800 on the SAT Math Test; and nearly 3,600 were ranked first in their high school classes.
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