Tufts' popularity remains on the rise, as a record number of prospective students applied for admission to the class of 2005 under the University's Early Decision I plan. In response to the increase in early decision applications, the admissions department for the first time rejected - instead of deferring - a portion of the early applicants.
Historically, early applicants have either received an acceptance letter or one deferring their application into the regular applicant pool. While the change gives admissions officers the opportunity to discard a number of students earlier than in the past, only a few students will receive rejection letters until the University becomes accustomed to the new policy, admissions officials said. The change is also not expected to affect the percentage of deferred students who are ultimately admitted.
"We want to be fair to those students who we know probably won't get in during regular admissions, to let them know that they should be making other plans," Dean of Admissions David Cuttino said.
According to Cuttino, eight to ten percent of deferred applicants are eventually admitted. "It basically depends on who else applies," he said. "We try to have the students who are admitted early mirror the talents and abilities of the class that we ultimately enroll."
This year, 357 students out of a pool of 702 were granted admission in the first round of the Early Decision program, which stipulates that they must attend Tufts if they are accepted. The number of applicants for Early Decision has increased by 63 percent since 1995, and the actual number of students admitted early has consequently increased 109 percent over the same six-year period.
The average high school rank of the students admitted through Early Decision I is in the top nine percent. Students were admitted from 31 states and territories, the same number of states represented last year. Admitted students hail from 11 foreign countries, compared to three last year.
"Part of what we look for is people who take advantage of the opportunities given to them.... We are preparing people for careers that haven't been invented yet," Cuttino said.
Because some students are not ready or do not have access to adequate advising to make a binding decision by Nov. 15, Tufts offers a second round of early decision with a Jan. 1 deadline.
The number of applications for the second round jumped this year by 14 percent, and according to Cuttino, it's "the largest we've ever had."
College admissions around the country have become more competitive in recent years, a factor which Cuttino feels contributes to the appeal of applying early.
"Students have found that they are at a strategic advantage by applying early - a higher percentage of students are admitted, as well as a higher percentage of the class."
Early Decision I applicant Deepka Chattaram, who lives in Great Neck, N.Y., said that Tufts' reputation for being a diverse community attracted her to the school.
"The campus, general atmosphere, a good economics program, and especially the diversity encouraged me to apply," she said. "I also liked the idea of being able to meet new cultures and to be close to a city."
The biggest difference between the early and regular applicant pools is the binding nature of early decision. "These students have done their research and have decided that Tufts is where they want to be," Cuttino said.
"Having two rounds allows us to separate the pools and also makes it easier for us to review applications," he explained. "They are still essentially the same program."
Early decision applicants account for 35 percent of the class of 2003, and 37 percent of the class of 2004. The number of students applying to Tufts under regular decision has also jumped to record levels in recent years, and applications are currently trickling in for the Class of 2005.
"The question with the regular group is 'will they love us as much as we love them,'" Cuttino said. "We usually shoot under where we want to be on May 1, and then move to the waitlist."
