<p>I don’t see how just a 0.1% rise in acceptance rates degrades the university. As noted, the quality of the applicants increased and about the same number as last year were admitted. Most people that apply to UPenn (discluding those that apply because it is “easy” to get accepted) apply for the big-university feel amongst the Ivies. I like the fact that Penn is able to admit more students than the others; it makes the experience more real and further aids the networking that the Ivy expereince is infamous for.</p>