April 12, 2010

Applications up 14 percent for incoming Homewood class

For the eighth year in a row, a record-breaking number of people—18,455—applied for undergraduate admission to the schools of Arts and Sciences and Engineering, a 14 percent increase over last year. At the same time, the university’s admissions rate fell to a record low: Only 20.4 percent of those applying for entry in fall 2010 were admitted. (The previous low was 24.3 percent for entry in fall 2007.)

“Yes!” e-mails and envelopes went out to 3,274 high school seniors on April 4. Along with the 490 early decision admits from the fall, this makes for an admitted class of 3,764.

The admissions picture today is much different than it was in spring 2009, when 4,309 were offered admission to Johns Hopkins (a 27 percent admit rate). Colleges and universities across the country last year admitted more students and expected lower yields due to economic uncertainty, but the Homewood campus experienced a spike in enrollment to 1,350, or 115 students past the usual target mark of 1,235.

John Latting, dean of undergraduate admissions, said, “The difference in the admit rate this year is accounted for by two factors: 2,331 more applications on the one hand and knowing that we brought in too many last year on the other, so we’re admitting fewer. That makes it a smaller numerator and larger denominator, which puts the squeeze on the percentage admitted.”

Of those admitted to the class of 2014, 48 percent are women, and 19 percent are minorities (304 African-American, 387 Hispanic and 34 Native American). The median SAT scores were 730 in critical reading, 750 in math and 720 in writing. All but one state—South Dakota—is represented in the admitted class, with the students residing in 58 nations around the world.

Thirty-eight percent of admitted students have been offered need-based grant funding at Johns Hopkins, up from 31 percent last year. Students from the United States were evaluated without regard to their ability to pay tuition. Seven percent (262) of the admitted students have parents who have never attended a four-year college, up from 5 percent (232) last year.

Student responses need to be postmarked by May 1.