Northwestern sees record number of applicants

Officials at Northwestern University in Evanston say they received a record number of applicants for fall admission, with nearly 33,000 students applying.

The surge in applicants meant that only about 14 percent of the students were admitted. The university announced Tuesday that the Class of 2017 is the strongest academically in the school's history, with 91 percent of incoming freshmen ranked in the top 10 percent of their high school graduating classes.

The class also sets a diversity record, with 20 percent of the incoming freshmen being black or Hispanic. Another 19 percent are Asian-Americans. Nine percent are international students.

U.S. students in the Class of 2017 came from 48 states, led by Illinois, California, New York, New Jersey, Ohio, Texas and Florida.