Though the acceptance rate last year was an astoundingly low 7%, this year, given the fact that 30,489 students applied, a drop in admissions to 6.9% is a rather large deal. 2,110 applicants were granted admission for the 2010-2011 academic year of the 30 plus thousand (of which 3,600 seniors were top ranked in their respective high schools). Harvard is said to allocate approximately 60% of accepted applicants need-based financial aid in the neighborhood of $158 million dollars.