Early Action returns
Early Action has returned to Harvard College after a four-year absence. A total of 4,245 students have applied, and this year’s applicant pool is considerably more diverse ethnically and socioeconomically than that of any previous Early Action cycle. Compared with the Class of 2011, when 4,010 applied early, African-Americans now comprise 9.1 percent of the pool, a 61 percent increase; Latinos comprise 9.1 percent, a 31 percent increase; Native Americans make up 1.1 percent, a 29 percent increase; and financial aid applicants are nearly 72 percent of the pool, a 9.4 percent increase. “We are delighted to have such a diverse applicant pool,” said William R. Fitzsimmons, dean of admissions and financial aid. “One of our major concerns about Early Action in the past was a lack of diversity. The additional travel we conducted in nearly 20 cities with Princeton and the University of Virginia may have played a part in...