Major media sources have followed the college admission process this year; some with dire predictions about application numbers in tough economic times. But Grinnell mentions in The Wall St. Journal, The New York Times, and TIME.com, plus the application numbers themselves illustrate a more favorable picture.

Last year, Grinnell enrolled a record incoming class of 464 students. This year, applications for the Grinnell Class of 2013 were down only slightly at 3,807 compared to 3,888 in 2008. "We planned for this year's class to be substantially smaller than last year's record class in order to meet institutional capacity for classroom size and housing," said Dean of Admission and Financial Aid Seth Allen. "Our target this year is 385 incoming first-year students."

And with the universal May 1 "applicant reply" deadline just past, the numbers and makeup of the 2009 incoming class are shaping up well. As of May 5, enrollment for the Class of 2013 indicates:

• 67% of new students reporting rank in the top 10% of their high school class.
• The first-year class has the same male/female ratio as last year's class at 47%/53%.
• Domestic students of color make up more than one-quarter of the entering first-year class.
• International students make up 14% of the incoming first-year class.
• Incoming students enrolled from 43 states.