Hey there! Was just curious about something - do you guys know which colleges receive the most applications every year? Am trying to evaluate my competition, lol.
From an applicant volume standpoint, the University of California (UC) system tops the list annually. Between the nine UC campuses: UC Berkeley, UC Davis, UC Irvine, UCLA, UC Merced, UC Riverside, UC San Diego, UC Santa Barbara, and UC Santa Cruz, they collectively received over 200,000 applications for the class of 2025, largely due to students applying to multiple UC schools. UCLA alone received over 130,000 applications for the class of 2025, making it one of the most applied-to single campuses in the U.S.
In addition to the UC system, other schools with high application volumes include New York University (NYU), which received over 100,000 applications for the class of 2025. Other notable mentions include the University of Southern California (USC), Boston University, and the University of Michigan.
Of course, these final numbers take into account both in-state, out-of-state, and international applicants, and competition can vary widely depending on your residency and other factors. Therefore, while it's important to consider competitiveness, remember to focus on finding institutions that fit your academic, personal, and financial needs.
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