<p>2002 = 15,860 applicants
2003 = 16,656 applicants (+5.0%)
2004 = 16,714 applicants (+0.3%)
2005 = 18,062 applicants (+8.1%)
2006 = 19,282 applicants (+6.7%)
2007 = 19,206 applicants (-0.4%)
2008 = 20,250 applicants (+5.4%; most in history)</p>
<p>So, no, there isn’t a usual decrease in application numbers. 5 of the last six years have seen increases. The small decrease in 2007 might be attributable to the negative press due to the LAX case, but who knows.</p>