Last Thursday, the Office of Undergraduate Admissions mailed out decision letters to 17,512 regular decision applicants from across the world.

The total number of applicants jumped from last year's 16,944 to an all-time high of 19,350. With only 1,585 spots for the class of 2013, the overall admissions rate shrunk from 25.3 percent to 18.9 percent.

"The value of a Vanderbilt degree is growing exponentially. Vanderbilt is now one of the top-15 most selective schools in the country. This is fabulous news for current students who will be positioned in a better situation in the job search and when applying to graduate school," said Associate Provost for Enrollment and Dean of Admissions Douglas Christiansen.

Students are excited about the improvements in Vanderbilt's ranking.

"It's inevitable that each year will be more selective," said first-year student Carly Prentice. "It doesn't bother me because it will make our degree look better when we graduate."

"I'm excited that Vanderbilt is getting a better and better reputation. It will help me when I'm applying to medical school," said senior Bailey Roberts.

According to Christiansen, the Office of Admissions is projecting the yield to go up from 37 percent to 39 percent due to an increase in early decision applicants. This projected yield factored into the number of acceptances offered.

While waitlist numbers are kept private, it is still competitive.

"The waitlist is robust and has great depth. The students on it are simply phenomenal," Christiansen said.

Admissions officers looked at applications holistically, taking in consideration several variables including the level of rigor in classes, extra-curricular activities and leadership roles, the application essay and academic letters of recommendation.

The middle 50 percent SAT score range for the class of 2013 is projected to be 1340-1510, up from last year's 1330-1500. Also, the Office of Admissions predicts the percentage of students in the top 10 percent of their graduating classes will rise from 84 percent to 86 percent.

All 50 states and 13 U.S. territories and military bases were represented in this year's applicant pool. There was growth in all areas of the country but especially in the Mid-Atlantic, New England, and Midwest regions.

The number of foreign countries represented has increased by 20 in just the past two years, rising from 77 to 97. In addition to international students, the applicant pool also saw an increase in percentages of blacks, Hispanics, Native Americans and Asian Americans.

"There is a lot of excitement and anticipation for a class that statistically promises to keep up the tradition of the Vanderbilt first year class. We're doing well over here and we're looking for next year's (Commons experience) to be even better," said Dean of the Commons Frank Wcislo.