For many high school seniors, March is more than just the start of spring—it’s also peak nail-biting season, as soon-to-be-grads await college acceptance, rejection, waitlist and deferral letters.
The competition has grown more nerve-racking of late as colleges and universities report a notable uptick in applications. In 2021, Virginia Tech pulled in nearly 600 applications from APS students, versus about 420 in 2020. Similarly, the University of Virginia saw more than 550 applications from APS students in 2021, compared with about 450 in 2020.
Last year, as with 2020, the top six schools targeted by APS students were in-state, public universities. The focus on state schools may be due not only to the lower sticker price, but also to an increased desire among students and their families to remain close to home after two tumultuous years of an ongoing pandemic, says local college admissions consultant Eleanor Jones.
Jones says many of the students she coaches have wrestled with just how many schools they should apply to, as well as whether it’s in their best interest to submit SAT or ACT scores now that many schools are test-optional. The Common App, an application platform used by more than 900 schools across the country, has made the application process “easier now than ever,” says Jones, who formerly worked in admissions at Georgetown University and is the founder of Rigby. As a result, seniors are applying to more schools overall.
Test-optional admission, an outgrowth of the pandemic, was offered at more than 1,800 schools for fall 2022, and is a trend that’s likely to gain steam, she says, despite its complexities.
“At the end of the day, I think it adds another layer of debate with families,” Jones says. “Testing expenses can add up if you apply to more schools … or take the test a few times.” And some students are better test-takers than others.
While APS application data specific to this year’s seniors is not yet available, several of Virginia’s most coveted universities have already reported record numbers of applications from the Class of 2022. (UVA has already announced that it accepted a record low percentage of applicants this year, though the number of in-state students who were offered spots held steady at 28%.)
Where have Arlington graduates been setting their sights? Below are the 20 colleges and universities that received the highest number of applications from APS’s Class of 2021. The application data—provided by students from Arlington Career Center/Arlington Tech, H-B Woodlawn Secondary Program, Washington-Liberty High School, Wakefield High School and Yorktown High School—were drawn from our annual College Bound admissions chart, which ran in the Sept./Oct. 2021 issue of Arlington Magazine. Tuition and enrollment data are from U.S. News and World Report‘s annual Best Colleges rankings.
20
Brown University
Providence, Rhode Island
APS Students Applied: 91
APS Students Accepted: 2
Tuition & Fees: $62,404
Enrollment: 6,792
19
University of Colorado at Boulder
Boulder, Colorado
APS Students Applied: 92
APS Students Accepted: 65
Tuition & Fees: $38,312 (out-of-state)
Enrollment: 35,491
18
George Washington University
Washington, D.C.
APS Students Applied: 93
APS Students Accepted: 37
Tuition & Fees: $59,870
Enrollment: 11,762
17
Boston University
Boston, Massachusetts
APS Students Applied: 93
APS Students Accepted: 16
Tuition & Fees: $59,816
Enrollment: 16,872
16
Cornell University
Ithaca, New York
APS Students Applied: 95
APS Students Accepted: 9
Tuition & Fees: $61,015
Enrollment: 14,743
15
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, Michigan
APS Students Applied: 98
APS Students Accepted: 19
Tuition & Fees: $53,232 (out-of-state)
Enrollment: 31,329
14
New York University
New York City, New York
APS Students Applied: 100
APS Students Accepted: 13
Tuition & Fees: $56,500
Enrollment: 27,444
13
Clemson University
Clemson, South Carolina
APS Students Applied: 102
APS Students Accepted: 50
Tuition & Fees: $37,712 (out-of-state)
Enrollment: 20,868
12
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, North Carolina
APS Students Applied: 110
APS Students Accepted: 11
Tuition & Fees: $36,776 (out-of-state)
Enrollment: 19,399
11
University of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
APS Students Applied: 113
APS Students Accepted: 64
Tuition & Fees: $34,124
Enrollment: 19,197
10
University of Mary Washington
Fredericksburg, Virginia
APS Students Applied: 131
APS Students Accepted: 82
Tuition & Fees: $13,845 (in-state)
Enrollment: 3,993
9
Christopher Newport University
Newport News, Virginia
APS Students Applied: 171
APS Students Accepted: 99
Tuition & Fees: $14,924 (in-state)
Enrollment: 4,758
8
Old Dominion University
Norfolk, VA
APS Students Applied: 173
APS Students Accepted: 102
Tuition & Fees: 11,520 (in-state)
Enrollment: 19,622
7
Pennsylvania State University
University Park, Pennsylvania
APS Students Applied: 204
APS Students Accepted: 110
Tuition & Fees: $36,476 (out-of-state)
Enrollment: 39,809
6
College of William and Mary
Williamsburg, Virginia
APS Students Applied: 337
APS Students Accepted: 110
Tuition & Fees: $23,812 (in-state)
Enrollment: 6,236
5
George Mason University
Fairfax, Virginia
APS Students Applied: 390
APS Students Accepted: 214
Tuition & Fees: $13,119 (in-state)
Enrollment: 27,105
4
Virginia Commonwealth University
Richmond, University
APS Students Applied: 395
APS Students Accepted: 264
Tuition & Fees: $15,028 (in-state)
Enrollment: 21,943
3
James Madison University
Harrisonburg, Virginia
APS Students Applied: 398
APS Students Accepted: 229
Tuition & Fees: $11,720 (in-state)
Enrollment: 19,727
2
University of Virginia
Charlottesville, Virginia
APS Students Applied: 554
APS Students Accepted: 123
Tuition & Fees: $19,698 (in-state)
Enrollment: 17,311
1
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, Virginia
APS Students Applied: 594
APS Students Accepted: 189
Tuition & Fees: $14,174 (in-state)
Enrollment: 30,020