Applications up at nation's top universities

NEW YORK — Harvard University and Princeton University received a record number of freshman applications as the recession drove more students to boost future job prospects by seeking admission to the top-ranked educational institutions in the United States.

Princeton's applications for freshman admission increased by 19 percent, while the number of applicants to Harvard, the most selective college in the Ivy League, rose 5 percent. Brown University's applications soared 20 percent while Duke University's jumped 12 percent.

More students are seeking admission to top-ranked universities because they think a degree from these schools can help them land a job, particularly during a time of economic uncertainty, said Mike Mills, associate provost for university enrollment at Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill., whose applications rose 9 percent.

The increase may make this year's admissions process even more selective, as colleges have more qualified students for about the same number of slots as last year. Duke, in Durham, N.C., admitted 18 percent of applicants last year. This year it expects the rate to drop to 15 percent, said Christoph Guttentag, dean of undergraduate admissions. Duke hired three part-time former admissions officers to help read its record 26,731 applications, Guttentag said.

Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y., reported a 5 percent jump in applications from last year, the sixth consecutive year of increases. Cornell is a member of the Ivy League, a group of eight colleges and universities in the northeastern United States that includes Harvard, in Cambridge, Mass.; Princeton, in Princeton, N.J.; and Yale University in New Haven, Conn. Applications to Yale slipped less than 1 percent to 25,800. Harvard received about 30,500 applications and Princeton got 26,166.

Applications at the University of Pennsylvania increased by 17 percent to 26,800, Eric Furda, dean of admissions, said. Dartmouth College received 18,600 applications, about a 3 percent increase, said Maria Laskaris, dean of admissions and financial aid. Ivy League member Columbia University in New York hasn't released its numbers.

Harvard, which shares the top spot in the U.S. News & World Report 2010 rankings with Princeton, accepted 7 percent of applicants last year; Princeton took 10 percent; Yale admitted 7.5 percent; and Northwestern accepted 27 percent, according to data from the universities.

One reason behind Princeton's surge in applications is that students understand that financial aid is available, said Janet Lavin Rapelye, dean of admissions at Princeton. The university's aid budget is projected to increase to $113 million next year, up from $103 million for the current year.

"We continue to put out the message that we have financial aid for everyone who qualifies for it," Rapelye said. "It appears that message is at least reaching more students, and they're taking it seriously."

Colleges have boosted their marketing. Northwestern last year created a position in the admissions office to "spearhead our many efforts to attract low-income and minority applicants," Mills said.

The University of Chicago began a campaign to increase interest by sending more mailings and targeted e-mails to prospective students and had a 42 percent increase in applications to a record 19,306, the university said last week.

Brown, with its 20 percent jump in applications to about 30,000, didn't do anything differently this year, said James Miller, director of admission.

Admissions offices have trimmed their budgets as colleges cope with endowment losses. Brown cut travel by 30 percent, eliminated the mailed version of its admissions booklet and put it online instead, and used more e-mail and direct mail, Miller said. Brown also has added more outside readers to evaluate applications.

Harvard's admissions department has fewer staff members this year to read applications, said William Fitzsimmons, Harvard's dean of undergraduate admissions and financial aid. The university cut travel in half and has reduced its admissions staff by 10 percent.

Stanford University near Palo Alto, Calif., also had to cut back in the admissions department, said Shawn Abbott, director of admission.

Stanford sent more e-mail to save on mailing costs and is relying more on its Web site and Facebook pages. The university also reduced its staff by 10 percent in the office of admission, financial aid and visitor operations.

Stanford received more than 32,000 applications, a 5 percent increase and a university record, Abbott said.

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is projecting a boost in applications of about 6 percent, partly because of a "heightened appreciation in this country for the value of a strong scientific and analytic education," Stuart Schmill, dean of admissions, wrote in an e-mail.