Some Private Schools Look To Expand Enrollment

Jonathan Lekstutis
November 21, 2007

Several elite academic institutions are considering expanding their enrollment. Admission deans at schools like Yale, Stanford, Princeton and Harvard are voicing regret over rejecting so many talented students. This movement is growing among the nations elite colleges and may lead to changes in the way these universities select their student body.

In Stanford University’s alumni magazine, President John L. Hennessy recently discussed the idea of adding more students to Stanford’s student body. By turning down a record number of “exceptional and deserving students,” Hennessy explained, the university must “come to terms with the fact that we are denying Stanford the benefit of talent that could contribute to the university and society at large in a significant way.”

Yale University is also thinking about increasing enrollment as they are considering adding 650 more undergraduates to their student body. Princeton is already in its third year of an expansion that will bring its undergraduate enrollment up to 5,200. That is an increase in 500 students.

Experts say it is difficult to determine who will benefit from an increase in enrollment, but critics view the expansion as the elite schools trying to snatch up all of the elite students since more students are attending college than in the past.