Hey, guys. I'm working on my college list, and it's been pretty tough narrowing down. I've read that the number of applicants to a school can make a difference in how competitive admissions can get. So out of curiosity, can anyone tell me which US colleges get the most applicants?
Sure, narrowing down your college list can be quite a task! And yes, the number of applicants a school receives each year can be indicative of its competitiveness.
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) often tops the list for the most applicants in the U.S, receiving over 100,000 applications annually.
Other schools with very high applicant numbers include University of California, San Diego (UCSD), University of California, Berkeley (Cal), and many other UC campuses, largely due to the streamlined UC application that allows students to apply to multiple campuses with one submission.
Outside of the UC system, New York University (NYU) and Boston University (BU) see high application numbers as well.
Remember, these numbers are for the entire student body and each individual school within these universities will have its own unique level of competitiveness. Also, while the number of applicants can be an indicator of selectivity, it's also important to take things like acceptance rates and average accepted student profile into consideration when deciding how competitive a school may be.
CollegeVine’s Q&A seeks to offer informed perspectives on commonly asked admissions questions. Every answer is refined and validated by our team of admissions experts to ensure it resonates with trusted knowledge in the field.