Harvard’s early admissions applications have fallen to their lowest level in four years as the elite university continues to face backlash over its administration’s unwillingness to condemn anti-Semitism on campus, while its rivals see progress.
The Ivy League school saw a 17% drop in applications from students applying for early admission, with just 7,921 high school seniors seeking to secure their place, compared to 9,553 who did so last year, according to published figures by the University.
That’s the smallest number since the pandemic began, but still exceeds the number of early applications filed each year from 2017 to 2019.
Meanwhile, its competitors saw increases in the number of students seeking early admissions.
Yale University counted 7,856 early applications this year, a 1.4% increase from last year and the second-highest number in the school’s history, it announced Friday.
The University of Pennsylvania, which has also come under fire after its former president failed to assert that calls for the genocide of Jews constituted harassment under its code of conduct, received 500 more applications than just a year earlier, Bloomberg reports.
Jewish students at Harvard University have said they have faced anti-Semitic attacks since Hamas launched its Oct. 7 attack on Israel. Twitter/@AvivaKlompas
Applications for early admission were due Nov. 1, a month before the disastrous congressional testimony of Harvard President Claudine Gay and ousted University of Pennsylvania President Liz Magill.
But by that time, Harvard had already been facing more than three weeks of turmoil after more than 30 student groups signed a letter claiming that Israel was “fully responsible” for the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on the Jewish nation.
The university also faced criticism as leaders hoped to issue a statement condemning the attack and anti-Semitism on campus, with more than 1,600 students threatening to stop donating to the school.
Things only got worse when Gay claimed that students have the right to free speech while calling for the genocide of the Jewish people during pro-Palestine protests on campus.
Harvard first faced criticism after more than 30 student groups signed a letter stating that Israel was “fully responsible” for the attack. Harvard University PSC
Aly Beaumont, owner of the college counseling service Admissions Village, said two top students removed Harvard from their application list because of its response to this anti-Semitism, she told CNN.
Bob Sweeney, a retired college counselor at Mamaroneck High School, also said incidents of anti-Semitism may have contributed to the decline in early admission applications to the school.
“That’s possibly one of several reasons for the concern about safety on campus,” he told Bloomberg, although he noted, “There may be other factors besides students being more realistic about their expectations and chances of acceptance.” .
This year’s early admissions deadline also marked the university’s first since the Supreme Court struck down its affirmative action practices.
More than 1,600 students threatened to stop donating to the school because it did not condemn anti-Semitism. David McGlynn
It’s unclear what effect the high court’s decision may have had on the number of applicants, but in an announcement Thursday, university officials declined for the first time to include information about the racial and ethnic identities of the 692 students who They decided to accept.
They only said that of the students granted early admission, 15.5% came from “first-generation college backgrounds” and nearly 21% received a waiver of the $85 application fee due to financial hardship. .
Additionally, they noted that more than 22% of students live in New England, nearly 2% reside in the Mid-Atlantic, and more than 17% are from Western states.
Almost 17% are foreign students.
Things only got worse when Gay claimed that students have the right to free speech while calling for the genocide of the Jewish people during pro-Palestine protests on campus. REUTERS President Claudine Gay has called for her resignation since her disastrous testimony before Congress. David McGlynn
“We continue to attract applications from a wide range of high schools and communities around the world,” Harvard admissions director Joy St. John said in a statement.
William Fitzsimmons, dean of admissions and financial aid, also said he was excited about the students who accepted.
“It is exciting to see so many of the most promising students in the country and the world have been admitted early to the class of 2028,” he said.
“Their extraordinary range of talents and their many contributions to their communities will contribute greatly to Harvard over the next four years and beyond.”
Students who have received offers of admission are not required to accept them and have until May 1 to decide.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn