The number of early-action candidates accepted to the College rose by more than a third this year to a record 978, according to the office of Admissions and Financial Aid.

Admissions officials speculated that the rise, which corresponded to a 30 percent increase in the number of early applications, was connected to changes other top-tier schools made to their early-admissions procedures this year.

"We admitted a number of very, very qualified people who we felt would be admitted in April," Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid William R. Fitzsimmons '67 said, explaining that the criteria used in determining early admission are the same as those used during the regular screening process in the spring.

Although Fitzsimmons said the admissions committee admits candidates on their merits alone and does not keep count while they consider students, the acceptance rate for early applicants is about the same as last year: 25 percent.

The admissions office estimates that between 85 and 90 percent of those accepted this month will choose to attend Harvard so more than half of the Class of 2000 may have already been selected.

The large number of early acceptances corresponds to a record-setting number of applicants this year: 3,193 which is approximately 30 percent more than last year. Last year's early acceptance record was 725.

Fitzsimmons said yesterday that the high number of early applicants may be due in part to restructured early application processes at many colleges Harvard applicants also consider.

"There really was a major change this year across the country in terms of early action and early decision applications," he said.

Stanford, Yale and Princeton all instituted binding early application procedures for the first time this year--students admitted from the early applicant pool must attend that school and cannot apply to any others.

Brown and Harvard are now the only schools in the Ivy League that offer non-binding early action programs in which admitted students can still choose to apply to other schools in the spring.

In response to the changes to other schools, Fitzsimmons said Harvard stepped up its efforts at early action recruiting.

"Not only did those programs change, but if you looked at the admissions materials, and if you heard their presentations on the rod it was clear that the message was if you applied early decision at those other places you would probably have a slightly better chance of getting in," Fitzsimmons said.

The dean said that at Harvard, despite the high number of early admissions, candidates' chances are no better if they apply early.

"We want to be in the position where we take the best people whenever it is that they apply," he said.

Of the 978 students accepted in this year's early round, 436 were women--making this the seventh year in a row in which the number of women admitted early has risen.

The number of black students among the early admits rose from 43 last year to 60 this year; Mexican-Americans from 15 to 18, Hispanic-Americans from 20 to 26 and Puerto Ricans from 7 to 11. Five Native Americans were admitted both this year and last.

The number of Asian-Americans admitted rose from 147 last year to 190 this year. They make up approximately 19 percent of the early applicants admitted.

Although the admissions office can approximate the matriculation yield. Fitzsimmons said yesterday that number could be more difficult to determine this year because of the changes in other early programs.

In past year the early action yield has averaged approximately 90 to 91 percent, he said