MIT's accepted 16 percent of applicants for the Class of 2008, with 1,664 out of a total of 10,464 of applicants having cause for celebration.

Of those admitted, 897 are male and 767 are female, or 54 and 46 percent respectively. The 46 percent female number is a decline from the Class of 2007's 49 percent.

The Admissions Office expects a 61 percent yield on admissions offers this year, which would lead to a class of roughly 1,016 students.

The predicted yield is an increase from last year's of 58 percent, which ultimately proved lower than the true yield, in part leading to crowding in dormitories this year.

The students admitted for MIT's Class of 2008 are at the top of their respective classes. Forty-two percent of the students admitted are valedictorians, and 91 percent are ranked in the top 5 percent of their high school classes.

The SAT I means for the verbal and math sections were 724 and 759, respectively. Seven percent of accepted students received 1600 on the exam, and 62 percent had at least one 800.

27% are Asian American, 35 % are Caucasian/White, 17 % are members of underrepresented minority groups (African-American, Mexican-American, Puerto Rican, Native American, and other Hispanic groups). A few years ago, underrepresented minorities comprised of only 11 percent of the admitted.

71% attended public high school, 21% attended private or parochial schools, 8 % attended foreign high school, < 1% are home schooled.

11% of admitted students came from New England states, 19% - Middle Atlantic states, 15 % - South Atlantic states, 14% - Northern Central states, 12% - Southern Central states, 21 % - Western states, 1 % - Puerto Rico and US Territories, 8 % - Foreign locations.

Most popular department preferences: Electrical Engineering & Computer Science (16%), Mechanical Engineering (13%), Engineering (11%), Mathematics (9%), Physics (9%).

54% plan to major in one of the engineering disciplines. 38% plan to major in one of the science departments. 8 % plan to major in architecture, economics, management, political science, linguistics and philosophy, urban studies & planning, or humanities (and many more will double major or minor).