Harvard has received 4,856 early applications this year, marking a nearly 15 percent increase from last year’s figure.

This round of applications is only the second year that the school reinstated its early action program after eliminating it in 2007. The admissions office sent offers of acceptance to 18 percent of the 4,228 students who applied early action last year, compared to 3.8 percent in the regular decision pool.

Yale received a total of 4,514 early applications this year, up 4.4 percent from last year’s count of 4,323. Dean of Undergraduate Admissions Jeffrey Brenzel said he expects to admit somewhere between 650 and 750 applicants in the early action round.

Along with Yale and many other universities nationwide, Harvard extended its Nov. 1 early application deadline this year in the wake of power outages and other delays on the East Coast caused by Hurricane Sandy.

Early applications rose at the majority of the Ivies this year — six schools have reported increases in their counts, and Dartmouth is the only school that experienced a decrease. At this time, Cornell has not yet released its figures.

Harvard applicants will be notified of their decisions by Dec. 13.