According to the 1930 Quinquennial Catalogue, which has just been sent to the press to appear sometime before Commencement, the total number of degree holders has more than quadrupled itself since the first publication of a Quinquennial Catalogue in 1875.
At that time the total number was 15712 in comparison with the 1930 figure of 65584. An interesting landmark for comparison is the year 1910, the year in which President Lowell first took office. In that year the total number of degree holders was 37079, proving that in the 20 years since 1910 the number has grown more than in the 35 years previous to that date.
Growth in popularity of the law profession is shown by the fact that in 1875 the total number of L.L.B. degree holders was 1857, in contrast to the present number of 9289. Doctors have not experienced so large a change, but have increased in numbers from 2128 to 6888 during the last 20 years.
Due to the fact that many men are holders of more than one degree, the number of degrees granted by the University is greater than the actual number of alumni. The numbers of alumni as given in the catalogues of 1875, 1910, and 1930, are 12812, 31147, and 55299 respectively. Here again the gain since 1910 is nearly one and one-half times the increase for the period between 1876 and the first year of President Lowell's incumbency.