Chances of winning a Fulbright award are slimmer this year than last, according to statistics released yesterday by John U. Monro '34, Assistant to the Provost.

An increase in applicants and a decline in available openings has increased the difficulty, especially for grants to study in the United Kingdom and France.

Two hundred and one student application have been forwarded to the Committee from Harvard alone, to be judged on a competitive basis with those of other students from all over the country.

The Institute of International Education, which makes the selections, has announced the "Several thousand applications were received from college and university committees throughout the country, and an equally large number came directly . . . from candidates no longer enrolled in a university. Because of the keenness of competition this year many good and deserving candidates are likely to be unsuccessful."

There are only openings for the top 464 applicants of this year's crop. Most of these are to France or the British Empire (220 to France, 153 to the Empire) but the bulk of applications is also made to these countries.

The Netherlands have 25 vacancies, Belgium 22, and the British Colonies 13, with all other nations providing less than 10 each. Of the Harvard applications, however, only 35 are to these smaller countries, with France and the United Kingdom receiving 166.

Harvard College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences students were awarded 61 scholarships last year. (The decisions on this year's applicants will be released as decisions are reached throughout the Spring Term.)