Interest in early decision rising

Tufts' early decision application process ended last week when the University mailed decision or deferral letters to second-round early decision applicants and posted admissions decisions online.

The number of early applications continued to grow this year, contributing to a 24 percent increase in early decision applications over the last three years.

As the early decision applicant pool has expanded, the percentage of students who are admitted has declined. In Round I, the percentage of students admitted was eight percent smaller than last year, the smallest percentage ever admitted.

But the admissions office did not release applicant numbers or actual acceptance rates.

This year's record number of early applicants is not surprising in the increasingly competitive nature of college admissions, according to Dean of Admissions David Cuttino.

This year's college admissions season is the most competitive in the nation's history, according to the National Center for Policy Analysis (NCPA). The NCPA attributes the phenomenon to more students applying to college at four-year institutions and an increase in the population of college-aged students.

Students admitted to Tufts early came from 34 states and 17 countries. 15 percent of the students either were foreign citizens, permanent residents or US citizens living overseas. 17 percent of those accepted said English was not their first language.

The newly-admitted students have expressed a range of interest in majors, the most common being international relations, biology, psychology, economics, although many remain undecided.

The middle 50 percent SAT verbal score for students accepted under first round early decision ranges from 620 to 700 and the math scores range from 640 to 720. Students accepted under the second early decision program had somewhat less impressive test results: the middle 50 percent of scores ranged from 610 to 690 in verbal and 640 to 710 in math.

Most students admitted under either program ranked in the top ten percent of their high school class.

The majority of the students _ 56 percent _ are from public schools, and 39 percent are from private schools. Religious high schools contributed five percent of the students.

Since 1995, the number of first-round early decision applicants has increased by 236 percent.

Many attribute Tufts' soaring application figures to the efforts of Cuttino, who will retire at the end of this academic year after 16 years as the dean of admissions.