Next year’s freshman class will swell to almost 2,600 students, as a higher-than-expected yield rate caused the number of incoming students to exceed University officials’ admissions expectations by about 200.

With an increased yield rate of 35 percent, the University will welcome between 2,550 and 2,580 freshmen, said Louis Katz, GW’s executive vice president and treasurer, in an interview Friday.

More than 22,000 prospective students applied to GW, making this year’s applicant pool the largest in University history. Prospective students who applied to GW under the Early Decision process were notified of their admission in December and February, while regular applicants were notified in March and April.

Admissions officials initially predicted a freshman class of 2,400 and a significantly lower yield rate, or the percentage of freshman admitted to the University that decide to enroll here. Last year’s yield rate was 31.9 percent, according to the University’s Office of Institutional Research.

Katz called the increased rate a “surprise.” But he said the second largest freshman class ever admitted to GW was “within a tolerant level,” meaning officials would be able to provide adequate housing and services for them.

“All you can do is base off of historical trends,” he said. “This is good news.”

Although officials were planning to accommodate about 200 fewer students, Katz said GW is planning to house all freshmen in campus residence halls. Since most transfer students have yet to be admitted to GW, housing officials can be more flexible in choosing where to accommodate freshmen.

“We obviously got to be sure that we have enough housing for them, the faculty for the right number of freshman,” he said.

Next year’s incoming class will be the first to pay the same tuition – $34,000 – during their four or five years at GW. Officials adopted the fixed tuition plan in February to make paying for GW more predictable for parents and students.

Katz said it was “too early” to say whether the plan affected this year’s admission figures.

“I would like to believe that it’s one of the positive factors,” he said. “Time will tell.”