By Shana SagerThe Daily Northwestern
A record number of high school seniors submitted applications to be part of Northwestern's class of 2011 - up 19 percent from last year.
Applications totaled 21,839, which includes about 2,000 applications from international students.
The increase in overall applicants is due in part to NU's decision to accept the Common Application for the first time this year, said Michael Mills, associate provost for university enrollment. The Common Application is used by 320 universities across the country, making it easier for students to apply to more schools.
But, Mills said, the university's applicant pool also grew last year, even before the switch to the Common Application.
This year's jump in applications was a "continuation of the buzz that we started to create about NU last year," Mills said.
Keith Todd, director of undergraduate admissions, said years of expanded recruitment also helped spread the word about NU.
Last fall, recruiters visited 50 U.S. cities and eight countries, including Japan, China and France. This increased presence abroad has resulted in a 54 percent increase in international student applications from last year.
"It gives a sense, especially on the East and West coasts, that this university stands toe-to-toe with the best universities in their neck of the woods," Todd said.
With so many applicants, NU will have to be more selective than it has been in years past, Todd said.
About 30 percent of last year's applicants were accepted, Mills said, and this year that number will drop to about 25 percent. Mills said he expects to enroll about 2,025 freshmen - 572 of whom already have been admitted as early decision applicants.
Some other universities are experiencing increases in the 8 to 10 percent range. But NU's numbers are on the "high end," said Dr. Kristine Dillon, president of the Consortium on Financing Higher Education, a research think tank for issues such as admissions and financial aid at 31 highly selective universities, including NU.
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