Applications Up for Next Year

Minority applications again set record

Friday, February 2, 2001

Duke University has received a record number of admission applications this year from African-American, Asian and Latino high school seniors. Although applications are still being processed, Guttentag attributes the increase partly to the university's recruitment efforts. "We have tried to focus on areas of importance, and having an appropriate representation of students of color is clearly one of those areas," Guttentag said. Duke experienced an 11 percent increase - from 703 last year to 781 this year - in the number of Latino applicants. There were also 4 percent increases in the number of applicants who are African American (1,190 last year, 1,240 this year) and Asian (2,446 last year, 2,553 this year). Guttentag also noted that Duke has added extra programs during recruitment weekends and has sent out special mailings to students emphasizing that Duke, with its policies of need-blind admission and of meeting full need, is affordable. When deciding who to admit, Duke does not consider the financial status of an applicant's family. The university then provides 100 percent of a student's demonstrated financial need. More than 40 percent of Duke students receive need-based financial aid. "It's really a matter of encouraging people who can't afford to attend Duke without help to realize that Duke will help them," Guttentag said. "The barrier to overcome is not in the financial aid package; it's in convincing students and their parents that Duke is a school they should be thinking about." Duke also saw a slight increase in the number of applications from North Carolina students, from 1,053 to 1,069. The largest jumps -- about 8 percent -- occurred in the number of applicants from California and Texas. Overall, the number of applicants to the Pratt School of Engineering increased 7 percent (from 2,145 last year to 2,298 this year), while the number of applicants to the Trinity College of Arts & Sciences was down less than 1 percent (12,322 last year, 12,236 this year.) Admission decisions will be mailed out in late March or early April. To date, Duke has accepted about 500 high school seniors who applied early admission. The freshman class that enters next August will have about 1,600 students.