The admissions office will mail out thick envelopes to just more than 800 lucky students today, offering slots in the Class of 2010 to about 21 percent of the early applicant pool.

Although the early admissions rate remained almost identical to the rate for the Class of 2009, Harvard admitted about nine percent fewer students to the incoming class than it did at this point last year. The number of students applying for single-choice early action also dropped by about eight percent.

This year’s early numbers mark a “return to some sense of normalcy in the college process,” said Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid William R. Fitzsimmons ’67.

“We’ve seen three years of roughly a number [of applicants] that is manageable for everyone involved,” Fitzsimmons said. “Students are making more thoughtful choices.”

Harvard was the only Ivy League school to report a decrease in its early pool this year, receiving 3,872 early applications, down from 4,212 for the Class of 2009.

Yale received 4,065 early applicants this year, topping Harvard for the first time in recent memory.

Yale’s admissions office did not return requests for comment yesterday.

NUMBERS GAME

Harvard prides itself on a worldly student body, but the Class of 2010 may feature a more foreign flair than previous years. Just more than 18 percent of the admitted early pool are international citizens, U.S. permanent residents, and U.S. dual citizens—up four percentage points from last year.

“We have to look far down the road. Perhaps 10 to 20 years from now, there will be new Houses along the river, Harvard College will be slightly larger,” Fitzsimmons said. “That gives us more latitude to open up more internationally.”

The Class of 2009 was the most socioeconomically diverse class in the history of the College, and early figures suggest that the trend will continue this year, according to the admissions office.

Demographic figures also remained steady from last year. African-American students make up nearly nine percent of early admits. Asian Americans, Latinos, and Native Americans are slightly more represented this year, according to figures released by the admissions office.

The geographic distribution of admitted students remained the same.

This year marked the first time applicants were allowed to submit scores from the revised SAT, which now includes a writing portion. But Fitzsimmons said “it was too early to tell” about the new test.

Writing “is something that might not be taught in the poorer schools,” he said. “We have to understand that certain students have greater access to educational opportunities.”

Marlyn McGrath Lewis ’70-’73, director of undergraduate admissions, told The New York Times last month that Harvard would review the writing portion “on an individual basis.”

Of the early pool, 2,828 applicants were deferred, 149 were rejected, 79 had incomplete applications, and 12 withdrew.

Accepted students have until May 1 to notify Harvard of their college plans. The deadline for regular action applications is Jan. 1, and decisions will be mailed to students on Apr. 1.