New Freshman Class Takes Shape

The Class of 2021 will likely be the first in Princeton’s history to enroll more women than men, based on June numbers showing acceptances from 10 more women than men. Engineering candidates in the class are close to gender parity, with men leading women by a 51/49 margin. 

Dean of Admission Janet Rapelye said 66.6 percent of students accepted offers of admission, compared to yields above 68 percent for the past two years. She said more students have requested a deferral year, adding that “we fully support students taking a year before they start their studies.” As of mid-June, 95 students from the waitlist had been accepted, and 75 are expected to enroll. Numbers may fluctuate over the summer, she said.

Of the 1,322 students who accepted offers of admission, 16.9 percent are first-generation college students, the most in Princeton’s history. Rapelye said 22 percent of the incoming class are eligible for Pell grants, 12.9 percent are international students, and 16.7 percent are recruited athletes. She said 45.8 percent self-identified as minorities, including those who are multiracial. Legacies make up 13.2 percent of those accepting admission offers, compared to 14.4 percent and 12.6 percent in the past two years. About 48 percent of the class was accepted through the University’s early-action program. 

Rapelye said five military veterans accepted offers of admission, the largest number in recent years. The University is hoping to enroll a larger number of veterans, as well as community-college graduates, when it begins to accept transfer students in the fall of 2018. Rapelye said a pilot program will seek to enroll 12 transfer students — most as sophomores — in the first year of accepting transfers.