Class of 2007 lowest acceptance rate ever

Undergraduate admission to the University has become more competitive than ever this year. Over 14,500 students applied, marking the largest applicant pool and the lowest acceptance rate (22 percent) in Tufts history, according to Dean of Admissions David Cuttino.

Tufts proved to be a popular destination this year as students from 3,607 high schools in all 50 states and more than 100 countries applied for admissions.

Candidates were admitted from nearly 1,700 high schools in all 50 states and 74 countries. "The achievements and the abilities of these students are impressive," Cuttino said.

The admissions office accepted 2,596 Liberal Arts students and 550 Engineering students. Of the admitted students the middle 50 percent range for SAT I scores was 640-750 verbal and 660-750 math for Liberal Arts students and 640-730 verbal and 710-780 math for Engineering students.

The average class rank for these students was seven percent for Liberal Arts and six percent for Engineers and nearly one quarter of the students admitted were in the top one percent of their high school class. Just over 51 percent of the applicants who ranked number one in their class were admitted. And 46 percent of students who ranked first, second, or third were accepted. Almost 48 percent of admitted students had SAT I verbal scores greater than 700 and 59 percent had SAT I math scores greater than 700

The Class of 2007 maintained the admissions office's current emphasis on diversity -- English is not a first language for 28 percent of the admitted students. Fifty-six percent of the Class of 2007 applied from public schools, 38 percent from private schools, and five percent from religious schools.

According to Cuttino, more than 17 percent of admitted students are foreign citizens, permanent residents or US citizens living in other countries. Nearly six percent of admitted students are dual citizens.

The most frequently represented states among admitted students are New York and Massachusetts; California and New Jersey followed and were equally represented. For foreigners, the most frequently represented countries are China, Turkey, South Korea, Canada, England, France, and Japan. Nine percent of admitted students are African American, ten percent are Latino, 18 percent are Asian American, and 11 students are Native American.

Whitney West, an applicant from Duchesne Academy of the Sacred Heart in Omaha, Nebraska, was not admitted into the Class of 2007 at Tufts. Her credentials included a 1490 on the SAT I, a 32 on the ACT, an A minus average, co-editor in chief of her school's newspaper, and a member of the Varsity swimming and tennis teams for four years.

"I was very disappointed at the admissions decision, but I understand that the Class of 2007 is highly competitive and I have moved on and am looking forward to attending either New York University, George Washington University, or Middlebury College," West said.

The most frequently represented academic interests are International Affairs, Biology, Economics, English, and "undecided."

This year's applicant pool also reflected an increasingly technological process, as more than 97 percent listed an e-mail address and 43 percent of admitted students submitted their applications electronically.