Emory College of Arts & Sciences, Emory's main undergraduate division, has received an all-time record number of 17,652 applications for Fall 2013 admittance, edging out the previous high from last year's 17,493 applications.  The target enrollment for the class is 1,350.

This year's application pool also included a record number of early decision applicants for whom Emory is their first choice. ED1 applications (first round of early decision applicants) to Emory College were up 10 percent, and ED2 applications (second round of early decision) were up 16 percent over last year. About 48 percent of the class is expected to enroll via early decision.

The academic preparation of the class, measured at an early stage, suggests this also is a stronger applicant pool than last year’s, based on ACT and SAT scores, says John Latting, Emory's dean of admission.

"Our goal is to attract and recruit the best students who have a depth of excellence in their academics and engagement with their home communities. In turn, those students are attracted to the rigorous liberal arts education we offer that's backed with the resources of a research university, as evidenced in part with the rise in early decision applications," says Latting.

Following national trends, international applications continue to increase, and admission staff have also grown the "footprint" of the class domestically, with states like California and Connecticut providing larger numbers of students.

Admissions staff are now deep in the next phase of shaping the class of 2016; students will be notified of their acceptance status by April 1.

"There is a tremendous amount of work involved in attaining such an applicant pool, and not just in the admissions office," says Latting. "It also involves our alumni, current students, faculty, staff, the office of the provost and communications and marketing. It is truly an integrated effort to shape the class."

Oxford College

Oxford College also saw a robust year with 6,586 applications overall, slightly more than last year, and significant growth in early decision applications, says Jennifer Taylor, associate dean for enrollment services at Oxford. Applications for the second round of early decision were up 91 percent compared to last year, the first time Oxford offered early decision as an application option. Oxford anticipates a 2013 entering class of about 480 students.  

The quality of SAT scores and other academic credentials is also stronger compared to last year, a continuing trend for the college, Taylor says. Oxford College is located on Emory's original 1836 campus in Oxford, Ga.  About one fifth of the students in each Emory freshman class choose to begin their baccalaureate studies with Oxford's liberal-arts-intensive program.  As juniors, they continue their studies on Emory's Atlanta campus.