Since 1932 there has been a steady increase in the number of undergraduate applications for scholastic honors, according to statistics published yesterday by the Committee on the Choice of Electives. This year 42 per cent of the upperclassmen are candidates for honors in special fields.

Last spring, for the first time in the history of the College, over half the entire undergraduate body, including all four classes, were approved candidates for honors. The figures show an increase of 20 per cent over those of 1927.

More than half of those concentrating in Astronomy, Biochemical Sciences, Classics, History, Literature, Mathematics, Philosophy, and Physics, are competing for honors. Leading the fields of concentration in the number of honor applicants are History, English, Biochemical Sciences, and Economics.

The rise in the number of degrees with honors is due, according to the Committee, to an increase in the number of successful candidates. The number of degrees with general honors has, however, been decreasing.