Women Admitted Set Record

Women make up a record 45.5 percent of students admitted to the class of 1998, and numbers for several minority groups hit new highs as well, Director of Admissions Marlyn McGrath Lewis '70 said yesterday.

Of 2,109 students admitted, 960 were women, according to figures released last week by the Office of Admissions the Financial Aid.

The number of Black students admitted declined slightly from last year, however, despite continued recruitment efforts, according to the figures.

The College has also offered scholarship money to a record 45 percent of admitted students, in the same year that its tuition will for the first time exceed $25,000 annually. About two-thirds of the admits will be eligible for some form of financial aid, with the average package totaling more than $18,000.

"When the tuition package rises, of course the pressure for financial aid also rises," Dean of the Faculty Jeremy R. Knowles said.

This year's acceptance rate was 13.8 percent, the lowest ever. The number of applicants, 15,260, was another record, according to the admissions figures.

There was no extraordinary effort this year to recruit women, Lewis said, beyond the usual use of Harvard-Radcliffe female graduates as contacts.

The admissions office always strives to "make the place look especially friendly and welcoming to women," she said, though there is no admissions "tip" based on gender.

For minority students Lewis said, the admissions office "refined" last year's successful efforts to encourages minority applications, including recruiting visits by Harvard students to selected schools.

But this year, she said, there was no "second search" for especially qualified minority candidates, though officials "did a very thorough search in the beginning."

There were 207 Black students admitted, down from last year's high of 217.

The numbers of Mexican Americans (77) and Native American (19) admitted were record highs, and Asian American admits tied the previous high mark of 395, according to the admissions office figures.

The admitted numbers of Hispanic Americans and Puerto Rican students--66 and 38 respectively--each missed the existing records by one.

The students are also diverse in terms of extracurricular interests, with approximately 20 percent indicating music as an interest, 20 percent art, drama or dance, 20 percent public service, 13 percent student government and 18 percent journalism.

The admitted class has about the same geographical diversity as last year's, with slight increase in the number ofapplicants from the Northeast.

Approximately 5,200 of the Class of 1998applicants averaged 700 or above on the twosections of the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT), anincrease from last year's 4,500 applicants with anaverage above 700. Almost 7,800 of the applicantsscored 700 or higher on the SAT math test,according to the admissions office figures.

This year's applicant also included 2,560 highschool valedictorians, up from 2,292 last year andmore than could be admitted to the class.

Admission letters were mailed Saturday at 12:01a.m

Approximately 5,200 of the Class of 1998applicants averaged 700 or above on the twosections of the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT), anincrease from last year's 4,500 applicants with anaverage above 700. Almost 7,800 of the applicantsscored 700 or higher on the SAT math test,according to the admissions office figures.

This year's applicant also included 2,560 highschool valedictorians, up from 2,292 last year andmore than could be admitted to the class.

Admission letters were mailed Saturday at 12:01a.m