Princeton's efforts to build a multicultural undergraduate student
body have yielded their strongest results with this year's freshman
class.
"With a record-high representation of students from minority
backgrounds as well as international students, the class of 2010 is the
most diverse in Princeton's history," Dean of the College Nancy Malkiel
reported at the Sept. 18 faculty meeting.
A total of 456 freshmen are from minority backgrounds, representing 37
percent of the 1,231-member class. This compares to 433 minority
students, or 35 percent, in the class of 2009. The class of 2010 also
includes 128 international students, constituting 10 percent of the
class, which is up from 109 students, or 9 percent of the class, a year
earlier.
Princeton also continued to enhance the economic diversity of its
undergraduate population, as 682 freshmen, or 55 percent of the class,
are receiving financial aid under the University's groundbreaking "no
loan" program. The percentage matches the record set by the class of
2009 and, based on preliminary reports from other Ivy League
universities, remains the highest among Princeton's peer institutions,
according to Malkiel.
Princeton has made significant advances in attracting a broader pool of
applicants in recent years, due to enhanced recruitment efforts and
major improvements in the University's financial aid practices.
Reflecting the success of these initiatives, Princeton received a
record 17,564 applications for admission to the class of 2010, which
was up 6 percent from the 16,510 applicants for the class of 2009 and
came after a nearly 21 percent rise in applicants the previous year.
To reach a wider pool of prospective students, Princeton has increased
its recruitment efforts across the country and internationally. For
example, the Admission Office has recently partnered with the Alumni
Schools Committees of Washington, D.C., and Boston in a pilot project
targeting public high schools with predominantly minority and low- to
moderate-income students, aiming to raise awareness of the
opportunities available at Princeton.
To make Princeton more affordable to a wider range of students, in 2001
the University replaced loans with grants for all students who qualify
for aid. This unprecedented initiative built upon a series of
enhancements to Princeton's aid program that began in 1998, including
the adjustment of formulas for determining need to reduce the amounts
that both students and families are expected to contribute.
"The cumulative effect of these changes has been to make Princeton's
the leading financial aid program among all colleges and universities
in the United States," Malkiel said. The percentage of students on
financial aid in the class of 2010 is a substantial increase from the
432 students, or 38 percent of the class, on financial aid in the class
of 2001, the last class admitted before Princeton began revamping its
aid program. The average scholarship awarded to members of the class of
2010 is $29,786, compared to $15,064 for aid recipients in the class of
2001.
The class of 2010 is Princeton's largest freshman class, as the
University is moving forward with plans to increase the size of its
undergraduate student body to 5,200 by the fall of 2012. Including the
class of 2010, Princeton currently enrolls 4,815 undergraduates and
will gradually increase the size of incoming classes over the next few
years.
For additional figures on the class of 2010, see “By the Numbers” in the Sept. 10 issue of the Princeton Weekly Bulletin.