Early Application Admissions Trends

Now that early application decisions are rolling in, we are starting to get a bigger picture of this year’s college application process. Here is what we are seeing…

Big Increases In Applications

So far, we are seeing record-breaking increases in early applications at many schools. Some schools have started to release their stats, but we are waiting for many more to come. Below are some of the schools that have started to release their early application numbers.

• Harvard University – 57% increase in Restrictive Early Action applications
• University of Georgia – 3,000 more applications this year for Early Action
• University of Notre Dame – 6% increase in Restrictive Early Action applications
• Emory University – 8% increase in Early Decision applications
• University of Pennsylvania – 23% increase in Early Decision applications
• Columbia University – 49% increase in Early Decisions applications
• University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill – 10% increase in Early Action applications
• Georgia Tech – 38% increase in Early Action applications
• Dartmouth College – 29% increase in Early Decision applications
• Yale University – 38% increase in Restrictive Early Action applications
• Johns Hopkins University – 11% increase in Early Decision applications
• Duke University – 18% increase in Early Decision applications
• Brown University – 22% increase in Early Decision applications

Why Is This?

There are many reasons why we are seeing an increase in applications especially at highly selective schools and many state schools in the USA.

1. Test-Optional: This year, many more students decided to play the odds by submitting applications to highly selective schools since they did not have to submit their test scores. This played a huge piece in the increase in early applications at highly selective schools. So far we do not have the data about the percentage of students admitted without submitting test scores.
2. Students Submitted More Applications: We are seeing increases in the number of applications each student submits. Many students are submitting more applications this year because they feel less certain about their college choices because they have not been able to visit schools. Also, we are noticing that more students just feel more uncertain about their future, their steps, what they want, and questioning the status quo, so they are keeping more options open and applying to more types of schools.
3. More Access To Exploring Colleges: Now with virtual admissions programming, students have been able to learn more about colleges without leaving home. They have been able to gain more exposure to different options and are submitting more applications.
4. Increase In International Students: International students are starting to feel more confident in getting visas again to study in the USA as a result more are applying this year.
5. The Class of 2020 Students & Gap Years: We are seeing a wave of students from the Class of 2020 that attended college for the first semester and are now wanting to take gap years/leave of absence since college is online. Many of them plan to return to their colleges next year. Many colleges and their admissions offices are working out the numbers of students that are departing for a semester and how that will impact their admissions numbers this year. Colleges will most likely not release this information until the earliest February or March.
6. State Schools: We are seeing more students pick the state school option to apply to because of their cost value, financial security, and their diversity of academic options and types of students.

What To Do?

Consider doing the following over your December/January holiday break…

Show Your Interest:

1. If you have not done virtual admissions programming for each early and regular application school that you applied to, this is important. Many schools are tracking your level of participation in the virtual admissions programming they are offering.
2. Some admissions offices make their regional admissions representatives accessible to students. If you are able to find your regional admissions officer on the admissions website, you are welcome to email your early and regular application schools with questions you may have about the school. Some admissions offices make it very clear to not email admissions representatives. Some schools are very responsive.
3. Some schools will allow you to send application updates. If they do, then you may be able to send updates via email to all of your early application schools through the general admissions email or through the regional admissions representative or upload a document with your updates via the application portal. These updates will include new information that you have after you have submitted your application. So it could be information about your senior year grades and classes, new awards/recognitions you received, new information in your personal or school life, or new information about the activities you are doing. Also, you can reiterate and add new school-specific information about why the school is a great fit for you.

*Make sure to do your research for each school on your college list to see if and how you are able to show your interest.

Be Excited About All Of Your College Choices:

1. A well-balanced list is crucial. Since the highly selective schools and many state schools are even more competitive than ever to get into this year, you want to make sure that you have plenty of likely and possible school choices that you are excited about and feel are a great fit for you.

2. Adjusting your expectations. This is a record-breaking year, so it will be even more unpredictable than it has ever been. Even us admissions veterans can’t predict the possibilities of getting in like we used to due to the increase in applications. Aim for the stars and be excited about all of your college choices.

3. Do a college list inventory based on where you stand now.

• Do you have a well-balanced list?
• Do you need more likely and possible schools on your list?
• Did you only apply to certain types of schools and now thinking you want to add a few more schools that are different than what you thought you wanted?
• Did you research the admissions criteria of each school on your list to fully know if you are a competitive applicant for the schools? Did you read the admissions profile information that is available on most colleges’ admissions websites?

Reach out to the college via the regional admissions representative or the general admissions and ask about where things stand in their office right now. The admissions offices may or may not be receptive to this right now, but it could be worth it.

• Ask them what they are seeing in terms of application trends this year.
• Ask them what their institutional priorities are developing into being this year.

These institutional priorities change yearly and are typically not discussed publicly but worth asking. At times, you can interpret some of the school’s institutional priorities by the application essay topics that they require students to write about. For example, many are asking students to talk more about their community service work, their awareness of social issues that impact our world today, or demonstrate their exposure to particular academic interests.

4. Transferring colleges, gap years, and learning skills and trades are becoming a part of the traditional experience for post-high school graduation. More and more students are questioning the cost of college and if they are ready for four more years of schooling. There is no longer the same sense of urgency to get right to college after graduating from high school so students are taking their time to explore who they are more before investing in college.

• To save money, more students are going to the affordable college option and then transferring after one to two years.
• Some students are attending a school so they can spend time pulling up their grades while in college and then transfer a year or two to a school that is more selective to get into.
• Some students just need a breather or a mental health break for a semester or two before going back to college.
• This year, we saw some students take a break from school and are waiting to go to college when they can have a traditional in-person experience.
• Some students want to have a better understanding of what they want to study in college prior to investing time and money into college.
• Some students are gaining employable skills such as a trade or computer programming and working either for a while, spending years in the industry before going to college, or becoming very successful in their trade and not having to go to college.

The big message from 2020 we have learned is that there is no longer a straight line after graduation. Students are waking up to all the different paths and directions that are right for them.

As we receive admissions updates, we will continue to share them with you. Have a wonderful school break and we hope you get some wonderful and fun downtime!

Take care,

The Best U Team

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