After dropping dramatically in 2009 from the year prior, GW’s early decision 1 acceptance rate remained steady this year.

About 36 percent of prospective students apply early decision were accepted during the fall 2010 admissions process. The rate is 2 percentage points lower than last year’s, and is barely a blip on the radar compared to the drastic increase in early decision selectivity seen last January when the rate plummeted down from 54 percent in 2008.

Last year, 38 percent of Early Decision I students were accepted.

This 2 percent decline in the EDI applicant pool represents 22 fewer students offered admission to the University. For the 532 students accepted, the Early Decision program is binding.

“We look forward to welcoming these students, who hail from 39 states, Puerto Rico, the District of Columbia, and abroad, to the Colonial Class of 2015,” Kathryn Napper, director of admissions said in an e-mail.

The 1,482 EDI applicants also represent about a 2 percent increase in the number of applicants.

The growth is far less than the originally reported 18.5 percent increase, which was billed as an historic amount of growth in the ED application pool, even amid a sluggish economy with high unemployment.

In December, The Hatchet reported that 1,725 students applied EDI for a spot in the Class of 2015. Napper said about 250 students withdrew their EDI applications, leaving about 1,500 students clamoring for a spot.

“As we go through the review process and contact students, we have students who will either have decided that they need a bit more time to complete their application and change to EDII or who inadvertently selected Early Decision when filing their application,” Napper said.

The slight drop in selectivity mirrors a growing trend at the University, which has seen both an increase in interest from prospective students, and a steadily declining admissions percentage.

Experts often characterize the ED process as risky for students, who apply knowing their decision is binding and without knowing how much financial aid they will be offered by their university of choice.

Napper said the 532 acceptances doled out do not reflect a quota for the Class of 2015. She added the University hopes to welcome 2,350 students in total this coming fall, leaving room for 1,818 EDII and regular admission applicants. Applications for both the EDII and regular admissions cycles are due Jan. 10.

Admissions representatives declined to release the numbers of both regular and EDII applicants to date.