More than 1,100 high school seniors – the largest number ever – have applied for early decision admission to the Vanderbilt class of 2012 – the first to enter the university under The Commons program.
   
Not only is the pool of early decision applicants the largest, but it also is the most competitive in terms of “academic quality, extracurricular activities and student leadership,” said Douglas Christiansen, associate provost for enrollment management and dean of admissions.
   
The 1,133 students who sought admission during the first phase of early decision represent a 41.1 percent increase over last year’s early decision applicants.
   
Students were notified this week whether or not they had been accepted for early admission, which carries a commitment to attend Vanderbilt if they are accepted.
   
Total number of applicants for the 1,550 spots in next year’s freshman class is also running more than 40 percent over the same period last year, and they, too, are highly competitive.
   
“By all measures, the quality of the pool is up,” Christiansen said. “Because we have a holistic approach to admission, we look at academics, extracurricular activities, letters of recommendations and more.”
   
Academic measures take into consideration much more than test scores and include the rigor of the high school curriculum, class ranking, and grade point average. “We also have more applicants than ever before who have held senior leadership roles in their schools, regionally and nationally.”
   
Christiansen said he also is encouraged by the geographic vastness and racial diversity of both the early decision and regular admission applicant pool.
   
He credits the “wonderful educational experience at Vanderbilt and the top-rate faculty” with the increased interest in Vanderbilt. “All of our recruitment efforts wouldn’t matter if we didn’t have the package of Vanderbilt.”
   
The Commons, the university’s living-learning community for first-year students that begins next fall, is a particularly attractive selling point. “When they see The Commons, they see the commitment Vanderbilt is making to the undergraduate experience. This is particularly noteworthy at a major research institution,” Christiansen said.
   
The deadline for the second round of early decision applicants as well as for regular admission applicants is Jan. 3.

Contact: Elizabeth P. Latt, (615) 322-NEWS
elizabeth.p.latt@vanderbilt.edu