NEWS RELEASE

3/28/03

CONTACT: Robin Mamlet, dean of admission and financial aid: (650) 725-2839

Stanford offers admission to 2,250 for the Class of 2007

The Office of Undergraduate Admission announced Friday that 2,250 students for the Class of 2007 have been admitted. Letters were being mailed Friday to 1,653 admitted students who have until May 1 to decide whether to accept the offers. Letters confirming enrollment will be sent to another 597 students previously offered admission under Stanford's Early Decision program.

Competition for admission to Stanford's freshman class, in line to be one of the university's most distinguished, increased again this year, as it has over the past several years. Only 12.1 percent of the almost 19,000 applicants were offered admission, compared to 12.7 percent for the class entering in the fall of 2002 and 12.6 percent for the class entering in 2001. Total applications held steady at approximately 19,000.

"The phenomenal achievements and diversity of experiences of our newest admits is truly incredible," said Dean of Admission and Financial Aid Robin Mamlet. "They have enlivened their classrooms, influenced their schools, embarked on ground-breaking research and developed extraordinary talents on athletic fields and in orchestra pits. Even more exciting is their potential, readiness and enthusiasm to accomplish much more at Stanford and beyond."

Stanford strengthened its historic gains in assembling a culturally and ethnically diverse class. For the second year in a row, over half the admitted students are people of color: 13 percent are African American, 25 percent are Asian American, 11 percent are Mexican American, 3 percent are other Latino and 3 percent are Native American/Native Hawaiian. International students from more than 60 countries account for 6 percent of the admitted class, and an additional 2.5 percent are U.S. citizens attending schools overseas.

Intellectual vitality, a passion for and love of learning, and academic achievement remain the most important criteria for admission. More than 90 percent of the admitted applicants for whom class rankings were reported were ranked within the top 10 percent of their high school class and more than half have an unweighted grade point average of 4.0 or higher.

However, Mamlet said, "Numbers and statistics, even when this impressive, do little to capture what makes this class so special. These exceptional young men and women can be credited with medical breakthroughs and engineering feats, award-winning public service and humanitarian programs, and championships in fields such as racecar driving and rodeo. One of our many published authors conducted research while growing up on a lion preserve, while one of our many inventors created his own written and spoken language. Such depth of intriguing personal experiences and exciting intellectual achievements will unquestionably strengthen and expand Stanford's breadth of excellences."

The admits represent all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Nearly 40 percent of the admitted students are from California, followed by Texas, New York, Washington, Illinois, New Jersey, Florida, Massachusetts, Maryland, Colorado and Georgia. Applications came from students representing 5,230 secondary schools around the country and the world, of which 1,344 are included in the admitted class.

The Stanford community will officially welcome these new admits and their families during Admit Weekend, April 24-26. Admitted freshmen have been invited to visit the Stanford campus at that time to explore the university's unique opportunities and unrivaled resources and to meet the other extraordinary young people who together will compose the Class of 2007.

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