STABILIZING NUMBERS

Figures at peer institutions for the Class of 2009 point to a stabilization of the early admissions process, after a year of fluctuations stemming from widespread changes in the schools’ admission procedures.

Harvard, Yale and Stanford all switched last year to single-choice early action programs, a non-binding system that limits students to one early application. Harvard’s early application pool plummeted, while Yale and Stanford, which previously used a binding early decision policy, both saw substantial increases.

This year, Harvard’s early pool bounced back with a 7.2 percent increase in applications. Yale’s pool dipped slightly, by 3 percent.Repeated inquiries at Yale’s admission office were not returned. Prospective Elis will receive their decisions online this Thursday.

Meanwhile, Stanford’s early figures nearly mirrored those of Harvard. The West Coast school, similar in size to Harvard, admitted 20 percent of its early pool this year and also saw a comparable increase in applications.

A Princeton spokesman said the admission office did not have figures available as of last night, though decision letters were mailed to applicants last Friday. Princeton, which has retained its early decision program, saw its applicant pool rise 10 percent this year, after a substantial dropoff for the Class of 2008.

—Staff writer Michael M. Grynbaum can be reached at grynbaum@fas.harvard.edu.