Hey everyone! I'm a junior looking ahead to college applications next year and I was wondering... do we know which colleges tend to receive the most applications? Does it vary year to year, or are there certain schools that consistently top the list? Thanks in advance!
Absolutely, some colleges do consistently receive a high volume of applications year after year. At the top of the list, you'll often find very well-known, prestigious institutions, mostly because they have a reputation globally and students from all over the world apply to them.
Now, going into the specifics, data from recent years show that among these top-tier schools, the University of California (UC) system tends to receive the most applications. This is primarily due to its larger number of campuses and a shared application among them (which means when a student applies, they are often applying to multiple campuses at once). Specifically, UC Los Angeles (UCLA) and UC San Diego (UCSD) receive a statistically high number of applications.
Beyond the UC system, other universities that usually receive an extraordinarily high number of applications are the University of Southern California, New York University, and the University of Michigan.
But remember, a high number of applicants doesn’t necessarily mean it's harder to get into a school. Selectivity, or a school's acceptance rate, is a better indicator of that. And even then, the pool of accepted students is often specific to the type of students a school is looking for–it's not just about GPA and test scores (if they're even required for the application at that particular institution). For example, an art school may prioritize portfolio reviews over more traditional academic metrics.
I hope this information gives you some context as you plan out your application process!
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