Top Colleges See Record Applications for Class of 2027

Nationwide, undergraduate college enrollment dropped 8% from 2019 to 2022, according to data from the National Student Clearinghouse. But it doesn’t appear that private, prestigious colleges are struggling all too much. Top colleges across the country saw record numbers of applications this year—and while enrollment numbers won’t be reported until after May 1, it’s clear that applications are booming.

RECORD APPLICATIONS ACROSS NUMEROUS TOP SCHOOLS

New York University received nearly 120,000 applications—up nearly 13% from last year and setting a new record for NYU, which has admitted 8 percent of applicants.

“These students represent the best of us,” Jonathan Williams, associate vice president of undergraduate admissions, access and pipeline programs, says in a press release. “As we look towards a future under new legal directives around diversity in higher education, NYU continues to demonstrate that selectivity and an exceptionally talented student body are not mutually exclusive to upholding values of diversity and access which so deeply enrich a university education.”

The University of Pennsylvania also saw a record number of applicants with 59,000 applicants.

“We are proud to report that they collectively represent the most diverse group of admitted students in Penn’s history in terms of racial and ethnic background, socioeconomic diversity (including those who are eligible for Pell Grants), and those who are the first generation in their family to attend a four-year college or university,” E. Whitney Soule, Vice Provost and Dean of Admissions at Penn, says in a press release.

At Dartmouth College, a record total of 28,841 applicants applied for the Class of 2027. Among those, 1,173 applicants were admitted via regular decision. It was the third consecutive admissions cycle in which Dartmouth received more than 28,000 applications for its first-year class.

“The admitted cohort sustains the demographic highlights of recent classes,” Lee Coffin, Vice Provost For Enrollment And Dean Of Admissions And Financial Aid at Dartmouth, says in a press release. “It is a cohort of individuals literally drawn from around the world—and from a rainbow of socioeconomic backgrounds, points of view, ethnicities, and geographies.”

Sources: Inside Higher Ed, National Student Clearinghouse, New York University, University of Pennsylvania, Dartmouth College

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