The number of high school students applying to UConn is up 10 percent since last year, the school said in a statement on Thursday morning.
“Nothing speaks more loudly about the academic reputation, attractiveness, and value of a university like a huge rise in applications,” UConn President Susan Herbst said in a statement. “It is a widespread recognition of the excellence of our faculty, our student experience, and our alumni.
The school said the applicant pool is more diverse than previous years and applicants also higher average SAT scores.
More than 29,500 students have applied as of Wednesday, which was the due date. The numbers have more than doubled since 2001, when the University received about 13,600 applications.
The average SAT score is 12 points higher than last year and the number of minority applicants has increased by 16 percent.
UConn expects to admit around 3,550 students to the freshman class and to begin notifying applicants on March 1.
UConn officials said the jump in UConn applications defies national and regional trends of declining applications.
“We are grateful, daily, for the investment by our governor, legislature, and the many donors who make this such an attractive institution to students in Connecticut and around the globe,” Herbst said.
UConn will continue to accept applications for regional campuses at Avery Point, Greater Hartford, Stamford, Torrington and Waterbury until July 1.
Nathan Fuerst, UConn’s director of admissions, said he and others in his office also receive emails from applicants who want to update them on new honors they’ve received or to reinforce how eager they are to come to UConn if accepted.
“Anecdotally, I do see an uptick this year in the number of those emails, and it’s always gratifying to hear how excited they are and how deeply they feel about UConn as the right place for them,” he said.
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