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BY ALEXANDER ROLLE

In print | Published March 19, 2009

Applications to Swarthmore for the class of 2013 dropped by approximately 10 percent from last year, according to Jim Bock, Dean of Admissions. This is part of a national trend among small liberal arts colleges; according to Bloomberg, seven out of the eight liberal arts colleges that were top rated by the US News and World Report have received fewer applications this year than last.
While Williams College received 20 percent fewer applications this year, most of the drops in applications were less than five percent.

Meanwhile, all eight Ivy League universities saw their applications increase from last year.
Downplaying the seriousness of the drop in applications, Bock pointed out that it was, historically, a good year. “We’ve only been over 5,000 [applicants] three years, two years ago we were roughly at 5,300, last year we were roughly at 6,100, this year we’re going to be roughly at 5,500, so I think you have to look at the number in the context of history … we had a 50 percent increase [in applications] over the last four years.”

And while the number of applicants decreased, Bock emphasized that the caliber of those applicants did not. “The academic quality of the applicants and the academic quality of acceptances is going to be … very similar [to years past].” Similarly, Bock was not concerned about the effect this decrease in applicants might have on the diversity of the pool.

“What’s intriguing – or hopeful – is that we are nearing the national demographics … we’re down evenly men, we’re down evenly women, we’re down in internationals, we’re down in everything across the board. The one group we’re up in is Hispanic/Latino, which is the fastest growing demographic [in the United States],” Bock said.

Reacting to the downturn, Dean of Students Jim Larimore also emphasized the historical context of the application numbers. “Since our applicant pool is on par with the pool two years ago, we are not anticipating any major changes in the composition of the student body,” he said in an email.
While Bock recognized that the drop in applications to liberal arts colleges is probably influenced by their cost, or their perceived cost, he thought other factors were at play.

“I think it’s deeper than [the perceived cost] … there’s a question of what a liberal arts education is worth.” Bock suspects that, in tough economic times, more prospective students and their families might take future career prospects more heavily into account, and some might favor larger universities with greater name recognition on those grounds.

While this perception may exist to some, Nancy Burkett, Director of Career Services, believes that “a liberal arts education is not only a good stepping stone to a meaningful career, but offers the best foundation for lifelong learning, which is vital in our rapidly changing world,” she said in an e-mail.

Burkett went on to say that “when we talk with employers about what they see in Swarthmore students, they consistently affirm that rather than seeking narrow knowledge of a specific discipline, they value the skill set of a Swattie because of the breadth of their learning and the diversity of their intellectual interests.”

Along with the Ivies, public universities have also seen their applications rise, a change that has also been attributed to economic conditions.

Bock acknowledged that public universities are “good options and they’re perceived to be less expensive.” But even so, Bock emphasized that, “for a lot of our students, we’re the best financial option.”

One aspect of the class of 2013 that may differ slightly from recent classes is the percentage of aided students, though no one is sure how much that percentage will differ, or even if the change will be an increase or decrease. According to Bock, “More people applied for need-based financial aid … we expected that to go up.” However, the college does not know how many of the prospective students who applied for aid will eventually qualify for it, nor does it know which accepted students will decide to matriculate in the fall, and how many of those students who decide to enroll at Swarthmore will be aided.

Bock emphasized that there is much uncertainty in the aided percentage of the class of 2013. While pointing out that more students might qualify for aid because of the worsening economy, Bock also said that “it could be that we yield lower on aided students because they’re going for state tuitions or perceived lower-cost schools.”

While the college cannot be sure at this point, it recognizes that demand for financial aid may increase next year. “We are attentive to the possibility of a slight increase in the number of students receiving financial aid,” said Larimore.

According to Bock, the unknown variable for all admissions officers will be the amount that families are willing to pay. “$49,600 is going to be the sticker price for next year,” said Bock. “What the asking price will be for any family has yet to be determined.”

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