Selectivity stays high, SAT scores rise in class of 2008

Tufts received a record number of applications for admission for the fourth year in a row, the Office of Undergraduate Admissions announced yesterday.

The University accepted 27 percent of the 14,720 students who applied, a selectivity rating Coffin called "consistent with previous years." The selectivity rating for the class of 2007 was 26 percent.

The mean of admitted students' combined SAT scores was 29 points higher than last year's scores, from 1384 in the class of 2007 to 1413 in the class of 2008. Mean verbal scores rose from 681 to 703, and math scores increased from 703 to 713.

According to Coffin, these SAT scores are the highest of accepted students "in recent memory."

Coffin said he was "very impressed" in his first year at Tufts. "We certainly saw that during the fall, as we were visiting schools, that the interest in Tufts and the awareness of Tufts continues to grow," he said.

"As we went through selection committee, the data all increased from last year to this year," Coffin said.

High school guidance counselor Marilyn Rennie-Stanton of Sacred Heart High School in Kingston, MA said she has witnessed a trend in the growth of student interest in Tufts.

Getting into Tufts has "definitely gotten harder in my six years here," she said. According to Rennie-Stanton, even strong students must "go the extra step and say 'Tufts is my first choice.'"

Though the admitted student statistics give a picture of the quality of accepted students, applicant interest in Tufts will be measurable only after May 1, the deadline for students to confirm their position in the class of 2008.

"It's also going to be very interesting to see what happens on May 1, if the enrolled profile also increases after last year," Coffin said.

So far, 100 accepted students have confirmed that they will not be attending Tufts in the fall. According to Coffin, the sample of students who already turned down their application was too small to show any patterns.

"We were in the mix, and given the academic profile of this class, they have options," he said. "That to me is an expected part of the admissions process at a place like Tufts."

Now, the Office of Undergraduate Admissions is concentrating on the April Open House, a program that begins this Friday and is comprised of tours and seminars for admitted students.

"The challenge going forward as we move into the April Open House program is to put a best foot forward, and as accepted families come to campus, showcase the University in a way that makes them say, 'this university is superb'," Coffin said.

Demographic data shows that admitted students in the class of 2008 are 51 percent female and 49 percent male, and 30 percent are considered members of racial or ethnic minority groups.

Geographic trends continue from last year, according to Coffin, who said there is a "deepening of the pool in key areas, [namely] New York and California. The international pool has continued to be strong."

Students were accepted from every state except South Dakota, and from over 70 countries.

Coffin said that applicants listed their top interests as the International Relations program, pre-health programs, life sciences, economics, and political science.

"A significant number of applicants and accepted students have those interests, which makes sense, because if you think about the signature programs at the University, that awareness is clearly coming through the admissions process and we're seeing outstanding students who have those interests," Coffin said.

Coffin decided to send letters of notification later than last year in order to give admissions officers more time to examine applications. Letters were mailed March 29.

The Office of Undergraduate Admissions released numbers later than usual this year, because Coffin only recently returned from traveling to receptions for accepted students all over the country. "We immediately hit the road," he said. "Some of the delay was mostly [because] we finished and pretty much left campus."

The Office of Undergraduate Admissions has not yet done an official comparison of this year's statistics to classes other than 2007.

Director of Admissions Allan Clemow did not comment on the release, and referred all questions to Coffin.