Why the Increase in Applications?

As usual, there is no such thing as a simple answer when it comes to college admissions.

Almost 18,000 students, a record number (and a nearly 50 percent increase over five years) applied for admission to the class of 1999. The class was chosen from an applicant pool unprecedented in its quantity and quality. On every measure, the academic quality of the applicant pool rose. Over the past five years, the number of applicants ranked in the top 10 percent of their high school classes has risen from 1,993 to 2,828; those averaging 1400 or better on their combined SATs climbed from 3,884 to 6,099; students with a math SAT of 700 or higher rose from 6,053 to 9,463; and while 1,263 applicants scored 800 on the Math II Achievement test five years ago, this past year 2,158 did so.

Well beyond standardized test scores, the academic, extracurricular and personal accomplishments of the incoming class were once again extremely impressive. Thirteen of the 20 students recognized by USA Today as the top high school scholars in the nation matriculated with the Class of 1999, as did six of the top 10 Westinghouse science competition winners.

Of the 17,582 who comprised the final applicant pool, only 12 percent could be admitted, our lowest admission rate ever. The yield remained 75.3 percent, the highest in over a decade and the highest of the nation's selective colleges by a wide margin.

This year's entering class included 368 National Merit Scholars, while the next four institutions enrolled 168, 158, 129 and 124, respectively. National Achievement Scholars (a similar competition recognizing outstanding African-American students) included 57 at Harvard, with 23, 20, 19 and 18 at the next four institutions. Our undergraduates also continued to do well in competitions such as the Putnam mathematics contest and the Rhodes and Marshall programs.

Already this year we have witnessed extraordinary interest in Harvard and Radcliffe. A record number applied under the Early Action program--3,913--surpassing last year's high of 2,990. This year's total is not final, but it has already exceeded last year's record and has gone over the 18,000 mark.

Many factors contribute to the College's success in attracting outstanding applicants.

* The quality of the faculty and Harvard's academic reputation.

* The vitality and excellence represented by the student body.

* The excellence of the facilities, especially since the extensive renovations of the past decade.

* The attractions of Cambridge and the Boston area.

* The April Visiting Program for admitted students, with recruitment efforts by the Undergraduate Admissions Council, the Undergraduate Minority Recruiting Program and members of the Faculty.

Much of the credit for the College's success in attracting the country's and world's best students can be attributed to the Faculty's commitment to need-blind admissions and to our financial aid program. This year students were offered more than $70 million in scholarships, loans and jobs, with scholarships alone totaling some $39 million. About two-thirds of undergraduates are eligible for some form of financial aid, and about 45 percent of undergraduates this year are on scholarship, an all-time high. The average grant is $12,650, toward a total aid package of more than $19,000.

The College Access Plan continues to ensure that students from all economic backgrounds, including middle-income families, will have access to a Harvard education. Other forms of financial assistance, such as the Faculty Aide Program and the Ford Program, continue to provide outstanding undergraduates with the opportunity to pursue special research interests with faculty members.

A significant percentage of our outstanding undergraduates require financial aid to enable them to attend Harvard. Without such students, the quality of the student body would be greatly diminished, and Harvard would also be far less attractive to those families able to meet the full expenses of a college education.

Nearly 50 percent of the student body would not be able to come here without financial aid, and were it not for them, our research shows that many of the other 50 percent would not choose to be here.

Aggressive and innovative recruiting by alumnae and alumni, undergraduate student recruiters and Admissions Office staff has also made a difference in recent years. Six years ago, we began "joint travel," in which we join other colleges in recruiting efforts around this country and abroad. Conducted in conjunction with MIT, Georgetown, Duke and Stanford, this program began by using spring travel for recruiting the next year's class. The format centers upon joint presentations to students and parents at an evening meeting, followed by a breakfast meeting the next morning with school guidance counselors. More than 600 people have attended some evening sessions, and the counselor sessions have included up to 50.

Typically, we cover five cities in five days. Such trips are economical because of the shared expenses of function rooms, rental cars and mailing costs. In addition, a much larger number of people will come to a presentation made by five colleges than by one. We conducted six other such visits last spring with Duke, Georgetown and Penn, and we undertook 12 more during the fall.

This new approach, while representing an additional burden to our staff, is vital. Even beyond the benefits of reaching a large number of people, without these joint ventures we would be at a competitive disadvantage with the many other colleges employing such strategies.

A possible reason for our dramatic increase in applications this past year is our use of the Common Application. While it clearly had some effect, we must remember that the application increases the previous four years occurred without its use. Nevertheless, the Common Application may have been helpful in reaching some students from previously unrepresented parts of the country. It is impossible to measure precisely its effect precisely because our simultaneous use of the College Board Search Service and a variety of other recruitment tools would confound a rigorous scientific analysis. The feedback from counselors and many others across the country to our use of the Common Application has been positive, however.

The form itself helps counter the image of exclusivity that still lingers around the Harvard name. The fact that the Common Application can be used easily by those without access to expensive computer-assisted applications services is also a major step forward for applicants from less affluent areas.

Because we use a supplementary application of our own with the Common Application, the amount of information we receive about candidates has not diminished. Indeed, because of the intensive study we made of the Common Application and its possible effect on our process, we were able to design new application items that encourage students to present an even more complete portfolio of their strengths.

We will continue to use the Common Application as our base document, and we are pleased to note that a number of other colleges have joined the Common Application Group. Cutting down on unnecessary red tape and making the college application process more accessible to students and their families benefits everyone, as well as higher education itself.

The reputation of American higher education, while sometimes under attack in the United States, is growing abroad. Our applicant pool has reflected that development: in fewer than 10 years, we have witnessed a growth from about 740 students applying from abroad to 1,825 this past year. One former head of state in the Pacific Rim, in speaking to the young people of his country about how to prepare best for their country's future, advised them to go to one of the great American universities. This kind of advice has been heard more often throughout the world over the past decade. As a result, we have been increasingly able to attract outstanding international students who will not only add to the education of American undergraduates but will return to be leaders in their countries.

With several national institutions changing this year from Early Action to Early Decision programs (in which students must attend if admitted), there were fewer certainties than ever in college admissions for high school seniors. As early as last spring, many secondary school counselors reported great interest in early programs among their juniors. Not surprisingly, this fall many colleges saw a rise in the numbers of students applying for early admission.

More than ever, many of the most outstanding students across the country and abroad are ready to apply to college early in their senior year. This acceleration of the timetable for making college choices has been one factor that has led us to increase our spring travel, and we will continue to make necessary changes to ensure that Harvard and Radcliffe will be prominent in students thinking as they make their decisions.

We feel strongly that the flexibility of the Early Action program--which enables students to be admitted in early December and still apply to other colleges--serves students well as they make the difficult transition from secondary school to higher education.

Whether it is college guidebooks, computerized college viewbooks, news magazines, newspapers, television or radio, there is more media attention than ever before on the college admissions process. Generally, this phenomenon has been helpful in spreading the word that all colleges and universities are open to students of promise and that there is sufficient financial aid available. In many ways, the media have democratized access to information about higher education. Increasingly Harvard and institutions like it are no longer seen as bastions of privilege--thus encouraging students to apply.

There are many changes on the horizon in the competitive world of college admissions. While there will be a steady rise in the number of graduating seniors each year through the year 2010, much of the increase will come in areas far from New England. In addition, many of the communities slated for the largest increases face economic challenges that could severely compromise the high school graduation rates of their students. We will continue our aggressive high school recruiting program, and we will do even more to encourage middle school and younger students to stay in school and take challenging college preparatory courses.

We hope our current undergraduates will help us in these efforts either while they are here (with the various programs in Cambridge, Boston and other nearby communities) or upon graduation. We have local alumni groups throughout the country and around the world who assist us in interviewing prospective candidates and in admissions and financial aid outreach. If you are interested, you can contact our office or the local alumni and alumnae organizations directly. We look forward to working with you in keeping our student body the best it can be.

William R. Fitzsimmons '67 is dean of admissions and financial aid.