In a climate where the number of applications to many of America's elite universities is rising, the number of students who applied to Brandeis for the Class of 2016 declined in comparison to last year. As of the end of April, 8,379 students applied for admission to the University, according to Senior Vice President for Students and Enrollment Andrew Flagel. In 2011, 8,917 had applied by the same date. These numbers include Regular and both Early Decision deadlines.

This year, the acceptance rate as of May 1, 2012, the date by which accepted students must notify the University of their intention to enroll, was 38.6 percent. This rate, however, does not include students accepted off of the waitlist, as the University is still in the process of admitting those students. The total number of acceptances was 3,233, which includes the 183 Early Decision I and 79 Early Decision II acceptances.

According to Brandeis University's Common Data Set, the acceptance rate for the Class of 2015 was 39.9 percent with 8,917 applicants and 3,566 students accepted after students were accepted from the waitlist.

The University's yield, which refers to the number of students who accept the University's offer of admission divided by the total number of acceptances, also changed. Last year's yield for the Class of 2015 was 24 percent; the yield this year is 26 percent.

The yield for this year is calculated from the 854 students who have enrolled in the University as of May 1. This number, however, is still changing as students are still being accepted from the waitlist and also inform the University of possible plans to defer their attendance.

Flagel said that the target size for the Class of 2016 is approximately 30 students fewer than last year's class size.

The incoming first-year class size is projected to be between 800 and 820 students, compared with last year's 858, which was the largest in University history, according to BrandeisNOW.

The discrepancy between the number of students who are currently enrolled, 854, and the projected class size, Flagel explained, is due to "class melt"-those who decide ultimately not to attend despite having paid a deposit-in addition to deferrals, an option open to accepted students until June 1.

While the numbers are still in flux and will be likely will continue to be until around mid-July when the University has finished accepting students off of the waitlist, Flagel said that he is pleased with the admissions process this year.