On the other hand, the growth rate is very low, and we need to continue to work to ensure a diverse graduate enrollment. In terms of gender diversity, the picture also was mixed, Cohen said. Since 1994, with the decline in applications here and nationwide, the decline is much steeper among men than among women, he said. Therefore women are making up a greater percentage of the applicant pool. In fall 1998, women comprised 38.7 percent of all applicants, compared with 36 percent in 1994 and 37.2 percent last year.
Acceptances are higher for women, too.
This fall 37.2 percent of all acceptances were women, compared with 36.4 percent in 1994 and 35.6 percent last year. However, the yield has declined, with the matriculation rate for women at 37.1 percent of the total this fall, compared with 38.5 percent in 1994 and 39.3 percent last fall. Cohen attributes that decline from last fall to the fact that the big growth in the entering class this fall occurred in the physical sciences and engineering, fields which traditionally attract relatively few women. Only by securing the highest-caliber of student and by ensuring diversity in graduate enrollment will we able to meet the needs of all of our students, undergraduate and graduate, and continue to rank as one of the world's truly excellent institutions of higher education.