Class of 2008 Admissions Figures Released

Three more women than men were accepted to the Class of 2008, marking the first time in University history that Harvard College has accepted more females than males to its first-year class.

Admits to the Class of 2008 also include more Asian-Americans and blacks than ever before, according to figures released by Byerly Hall yesterday.

The College accepted 1,016 women and 1,013 men to the Class of 2008. However, the final gender ratio will depend on which admits accept their offers for admission.

Last year, females comprised 48 percent of admitted applicants to the Class of 2007.

The other major shift in this year's figures was a three percent increase in Asian-American students admitted. This year, nearly 19 percent of accepted students are Asian-American, compared to 16 percent last year.

The Class of 2008 also contains the highest percentage of black students admitted, comprising 10.3 percent of this year's admitted students--one-tenth of a percentage point above the previous record.

Despite initial fluctuations in figures in December's early round of applicants, this year's final admissions numbers were very similar to last year's.

The acceptance rate ticked up half a percentage point to 10.3 percent and regional demographics were almost identical.

Yale's acceptance rate for the Class of 2008 was 9.9 percent, according to the Yale Daily News.

Harvard's early admissions pool dropped by 40 percent this year, but a surge in regular applications helped produce one of the largest applicant pools in history. 19,750 students applied for spots in the Class of 2008--only about 1,250 less than last year.

The College switched to a single-choice early action program this year, after the former system--which allowed applicants to apply to early decision and early action schools simultaneously--led to a bloated early applicant pool and logistical headaches at Byerly Hall.

Admissions officials said in early November that they had expected the decline in early applicants because of the change.

This year's pool also contained the lowest number of valedictorian applicants in five years.

Accepted students have until May 1 to accept or decline their place in the Class of 2008.

--Staff writer Michael M. Grynbuam can be reached at grynbaum@fas.harvard.edu.