Harvard's Class of 1988 contains more minorities and fewer women than the previous year's.

This was the word yesterday from the Admissions Office, which shortly after midnight this morning mailed acceptance packages to 2229 prospective freshmen around the world.

The percentage of accepted applicants--taken from a pool of 13,237--decreased to 16.8 percent from last year's 17.7 percent.

Acceptances were sent to 1,297 males and 932 females making the male female ratio 1.42 to 1. Last year's ratio was 1.33 to 1

Minorities

The percentage of minorities admitted rose from 22.5 percent last year to 23.1 percent this year, though the number of Blacks admitted suffered a slight decrease, officials said.

Asian, Hispanic and Native American admitted figures rose--with the most significant increase coming from Chicanos who claimed a 26 percent increase compared to last year's statistics.

No One Factor

"There is no single thing that is responsible for the rise in admitted minorities," said William R. Fitzsimmons '67, director of admissions Fitzsimmons said Harvard has become more sophisticated in its minority recruiting efforts, especially in getting minority under graduates involved in recruiting.

Efforts to bring more minorities into the Harvard community began in the mid-1960s, when Harvard joined the National Achievement Scholarship Program, an organization formed to identify academically strong Black students Federal college search programs were expanded in the 1970s to identify talented Asian. Hispanic and Native American students.

Recruiting

Undergraduate recruiters for minority students, who visited about 50 high schools in the United States this year, were an important factor in the continuing rise in minority students, Fitzsimmons said.

Princeton also showed an increase in admitted minority students. The amount of acceptance letters sent to females also increased. Figures were not yet available for Yale. Brown, and Stanford Universities. Harvard financial aid, totalling $5.1 million, will go to 60 percent of the class, according to Admissions Office statistics. The average scholarship will be $6.200, the same as last year's

Scholarships

Harvard officials said these amounts would enable the College to keep its policy of admitting students regardless of their ability to pay.

Other acceptance statistics included a decline in the draw of Eastern U.S. students and a rise in Western admitees Children of Harvard alumni increased 3 percent from last year's figures, officials said.

The Office of Admissions has planned activities for incoming Freshmen from April 20-30. Activities will include discussions, class visitations, ice cream bashes and a special third world orientation.

Prospective freshman have until May 1 to let Harvard know whether they are coming.