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Duke Offers Admits to 3,583 Students

Duke University mailed acceptance letters this week to 3,083 top high school seniors from every state and several nations vying for admission to the Class of 2005.

The mailing brings the university's total offers of admission to 3,583 students, including 500 early-decision applicants accepted in December. The university is targeting 1,597 of those students for enrollment this fall.

"These admitted students are a truly exceptional group," said Christoph Guttentag, director of undergraduate admissions. "I think the faculty members are going to love teaching these students in their classes."

The Class of 2005 will be the most selective at Duke in more than a decade.

The 3,583 total acceptance letters is the fewest sent out by Duke since 1991. And not since 1988 has the university turned away a higher percentage of applicants. More than 30 percent of the admitted students who received a class rank in high school were ranked first in their class.

"There were literally thousands of students we did not admit who would have been stellar members of the student body," Guttentag said.

The 14,647 applications in 2001 was the highest number since 1987, topping the 2000 figure by 179 and continuing a five-year trend of steady growth, Guttentag said. While applications to the Trinity College of Arts and Sciences rose to 12,323, the Pratt School of Engineering set a record with 2,324 applicants.

Guttentag said the impact of the recent major gift the school received, the hiring of new Dean Kristina Johnson and the announcement of the school's focus on cutting-edge photonics research are among the probable reasons for the rising interest in the engineering school.

"Through those factors, the engineering school has increased its visibility and its national prominence," he said. "I think that is beginning to show through the increased attention from students interested in studying engineering here at Duke."

Duke also saw a record number of applications from students of color in 2001, with significant increases in the number of Asian, Latino and African-American student applicants. In fact, since 1998 the number of black students applying to Duke has jumped 38 percent to 1,278 this year.

"We have been fortunate to see a steady rise in the number of students of color," Guttentag said. "I think a part of that is that we continually try to refine our recruitment efforts. Another important part is we're matriculating a really significant number of these applicants. When students of color visit Duke and see the diversity of our campus, that builds upon itself."

North Carolina remains the top state for admitted students, with 476. The remainder of the top five are: New York (295); Florida (291); Texas (230); and California (212).

The percentage of admitted students who ultimately enroll at Duke is expected to be about 45 percent, Guttentag said. "If that number holds up, that would be the highest yield since 1990."

A number of factors could affect that yield, Guttentag said.

The number could be lowered by changes that several peer institutions have made in the way they are handling financial aid applicants and admissions, he said. Duke's yield could be affected positively, though, by the creation of a new scholarship program at Duke, a new web site for admitted students and the media attention to the 2001 NCAA men's basketball championship.

Of the 14,647 applicants to Duke, 8,917 students indicated they would apply for financial aid, Guttentag said. "We've been working hard at getting an economically diverse group of students," he said.

Duke invests more than $30 million in undergraduate financial aid each year. Approximately 42 percent of Duke undergraduates qualify for financial aid. Duke admits students without regard to their ability to pay and then meets their demonstrated financial need.