Spring Break
Applications to UConn up 5 percent from last year
Julie Stagis
Issue date: 4/1/09 Section: News
Applications from prospective students rose 5 percent compared to last year, increasing competitive for applicants looking for a spot in the 2009 freshman class, according to M. Dolan Evanovich, vice president for enrollment planning, management and institutional research for the university.
"We're being more conservative with the number of offers and the SAT scores," Evanovich said.
"Last year, (SAT scores) were 1,200 on math and critical reading; this year will be about 5 or 6 points higher."
About 14 percent fewer students will be admitted relative to 2008, preventing a repeat of the last-minute scramble for freshman housing that occurred last fall.
Last year, although the university accepted the same number of students it usually does, more people accepted the offers.
"We expect to bring in a class of about 3,335 freshmen, which is about 270 less than last year at the main campus," Evanovich said. "We don't anticipate that [overcrowding] will be a problem this year."
Although the suffering economy is certainly a factor in the application boom at the state's public colleges - with applications having increased as much as 13 percent at Central Connecticut State University, according to the Hartford Courant - the recession is only partly accountable.
"For the University of Connecticut, we have been on such a tremendous upward trajectory for the past 10 years. In 1998, we had 10,404 applications; this year, we're going to have about 22,000," Evanovich said. "In the past decade, applications have gone up 110 percent."
UConn's reputation has become increasingly positive of late, causing more top students to apply, according to Evanovich.
"It's not just about the economy, it's about the high quality UConn experience," he said. "High quality living and learning at a reasonable cost is an outstanding value, so it's made UConn a top choice in the past 10 years."
Although it is too early to tell how many incoming freshman are valedictorians, salutatorians or at the top 10 percent of their class, Evanovich is hopeful about class of 2013.
"All of the initial applications look very solid," he said. "This year's class looks outstanding."
"We're being more conservative with the number of offers and the SAT scores," Evanovich said.
"Last year, (SAT scores) were 1,200 on math and critical reading; this year will be about 5 or 6 points higher."
About 14 percent fewer students will be admitted relative to 2008, preventing a repeat of the last-minute scramble for freshman housing that occurred last fall.
Last year, although the university accepted the same number of students it usually does, more people accepted the offers.
"We expect to bring in a class of about 3,335 freshmen, which is about 270 less than last year at the main campus," Evanovich said. "We don't anticipate that [overcrowding] will be a problem this year."
Although the suffering economy is certainly a factor in the application boom at the state's public colleges - with applications having increased as much as 13 percent at Central Connecticut State University, according to the Hartford Courant - the recession is only partly accountable.
"For the University of Connecticut, we have been on such a tremendous upward trajectory for the past 10 years. In 1998, we had 10,404 applications; this year, we're going to have about 22,000," Evanovich said. "In the past decade, applications have gone up 110 percent."
UConn's reputation has become increasingly positive of late, causing more top students to apply, according to Evanovich.
"It's not just about the economy, it's about the high quality UConn experience," he said. "High quality living and learning at a reasonable cost is an outstanding value, so it's made UConn a top choice in the past 10 years."
Although it is too early to tell how many incoming freshman are valedictorians, salutatorians or at the top 10 percent of their class, Evanovich is hopeful about class of 2013.
"All of the initial applications look very solid," he said. "This year's class looks outstanding."
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