The Numbers Game – How Many Applications Should a Student Submit?

Posted on April 16, 2009 | Filed Under Articles

How many applications does a typical high school senior file for admission to college? The American
College Freshman Study, conducted annually by the Higher Education Research Institute at UCLA
and released in January, offers some insights into this question:

Number of admission applications Percent of current freshman

1 15.4%
2 10.8%
3 13.7%
4 15.6%
5 13.0%
6 9.6%
7 7.2%
8+ 14.7%

Looking at the above numbers you can see that students are “all over the place” when it comes to
filling applications for admission. When asked the number of applications one should submit question, a
veteran admission officer was once overheard saying: “One—if the student is the right student and the
college is the right college.” The “where” and “how many” questions will be answered during the
exploration and decision-making part of the transition. The answer will vary from student to student.

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