REGISTRATION FIGURES.

A preliminary report of the registration in all departments of the University up to Saturday, October 17, is issued this morning. The total registration shows a gain of 65 over the registration at the corresponding date last year, and a gain of 15 over the final registration of last year. The three departments under the Faculty of Arts and Sciences show a gain of 27 over the corresponding figure of last year, a loss of 37 in the College and of 19 in the Scientific School being more than offset by the remarkable gain of 83 in the Graduate School. It should be borne in mind that technical questions of registration and classification in these departments tend to obscure the significance of the variations which appear from year to year in their separate enrolment figures. The Freshman class in the College has failed to reach its remarkable figure of last year which showed a gain of 57 over the year 1901-02, but is already nine ahead of the final record for 1901-02. The fact that the Scientific School first year class has a loss of only six, comparing the figures at this time of the year, is very encouraging, considering that the present year has witnessed the final step in the raising of the admission requirements to an equal footing with those of the College. The gain in the Law School is 98 over the corresponding figure of last year, and 84 over the final registration of last year. The Medical School, having graduated a class which entered the School under the old admission requirements and having admitted as its first year class the third of the classes entering under the new requirement of a bachelor's degree in arts or science, has a loss of 66 in its enrolment. The severity of that requirement has cut down the total registration to a comparatively low figure; but the experience of the University in such raising of its standard points to a slow but sure recovery of numbers in the next few years; and the School is compensated by the high average merit of its new students, and the relief from serious crowding in the present building during the interval that remains before the new buildings on Huntington avenue are completed. College: Seniors,  318 Juniors,  419 Sophomores,  637 Freshmen,  560 Specials,  136   -- Total,    2070 Scientific School: Fourth year,  89 Third year,  102 Second year,  139 First year,  113 Specials,  112   ---- Total,    555   ---- Graduate School: Resident,  374 Non-Resident,  12   ---- Total,    386 Divinity School: Graduates,  14 Third year,  7 Second year,  4 First year,  7 Specials,  17   ---- Total,    49 Law School: Graduates,  3 Third year,  178 Second year,  197 First year,  290 Specials,  56   ---- Total,    724 Medical School, Graduates,  9 Fourth year,  142 Third year,  76 Second year,  69 First year,  78   ---- Total,    374 Dental School: Graduate,  1 Third year,  35 Second year,  29 First year,  51   ---- Total,    116 Bussey Institution,    17   ---- Total in all departments, except Radcliffe College and the Summer School,    4921