College applications continued to rise nationwide last year. As of Jan. 1, 2023 the number of students applying to college was up 20% compared with the same period in 2019-20—the last school year when applications were not affected by the Covid-19 pandemic—according to a Research Brief from the widely used Common App. Additionally, last year’s graduating seniors seemed to be more focused on public institutions than private ones. Applications to public institutions increased 39% between the 2019-20 and 2022-23 school years, while submissions to private institutions increased a more modest 13%.
How did those trends play out in Arlington? The application data below was self-reported by students from H-B Woodlawn Secondary Program, Wakefield High School, Washington-Liberty High School and Yorktown High School, as well as the Arlington Career Center (ACC), whose full-time programs include Arlington Tech, the Academic Academy, the Program for Employment Preparedness (PEP) and the English Language Institute. The full data appears in our annual College Bound admissions chart, which ran in the Sept./Oct. 2023 issue of Arlington Magazine. Data for Northern Virginia Community College was unavailable. Tuition and enrollment numbers below are drawn from U.S. News and World Report’s annual Best Colleges rankings.
Note: Given that the acceptance data below was self-reported by APS students, school officials stress that they cannot verify its accuracy.
20
Boston University
Boston, Massachusetts
APS Students Applied: 132
APS Students Accepted: 19
Tuition & Fees: $65,168
Enrollment: 18,459
19
Clemson University
Clemson, South Carolina
APS Students Applied: 140
APS Students Accepted: 52
Tuition & Fees: $39,502
Enrollment: 22,566
18
George Washington University
Washington, DC
APS Students Applied: 145
APS Students Accepted: 35
Tuition & Fees: $64,990
Enrollment: 11,482
17
New York University
New York, New York
APS Students Applied: 146
APS Students Accepted: 14
Tuition & Fees: $60,438
Enrollment: 29,401
16
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, North Carolina
APS Students Applied: 149
APS Students Accepted: 8
Tuition & Fees: $39,338
Enrollment: 20,210
15
Christopher Newport University
Newport News, Virginia
APS Students Applied: 155
APS Students Accepted: 95
Tuition & Fees: $16,351
Enrollment: 4,449
14
Northeastern University
Boston, Massachusetts
APS Students Applied: 156
APS Students Accepted: 47
Tuition & Fees: $63,141
Enrollment: 16,302
13
University of Colorado-Boulder
Boulder, Colorado
APS Students Applied: 166
APS Students Accepted: 80
Tuition & Fees: $41,966
Enrollment: 31,103
12
University of Maryland
College Park, MD
APS Students Applied: 169
APS Students Accepted: 33
Tuition & Fees: $40,306
Enrollment: 30,353
11
University of Mary Washington
Fredericksburg, Virginia
APS Students Applied: 171
APS Students Accepted: 99
Tuition & Fees: $14,234
Enrollment: 3,493
10
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, Michigan
APS Students Applied: 178
APS Students Accepted: 12
Tuition & Fees: $57,273
Enrollment: 32,695
9
Old Dominion University
Norfolk, Virginia
APS Students Applied: 224
APS Students Accepted: 103
Tuition & Fees: $12,262
Enrollment: 18,375
8
University of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
APS Students Applied: 327
APS Students Accepted: 186
Tuition & Fees: $39,890
Enrollment: 19,928
7
Penn State
University Park, Pennsylvania
APS Students Applied: 329
APS Students Accepted: 168
Tuition & Fees: $38,651
Enrollment: 41,745
6
William and Mary
Williamsburg, Virginia
APS Students Applied: 395
APS Students Accepted: 106
Tuition & Fees: $25,041
Enrollment: 6,797
5
Virginia Commonwealth University
Richmond, Virginia
APS Students Applied: 481
APS Students Accepted: 289
Tuition & Fees: $16,353
Enrollment: 20,958
4
George Mason University
Fairfax, Virginia
APS Students Applied: 509
APS Students Accepted: 265
Tuition & Fees: $13,812
Enrollment: 27,014
3
University of Virginia
Charlottesville, Virginia
APS Students Applied: 650
APS Students Accepted: 159
Tuition & Fees: $22,323
Enrollment: 17,496
2
James Madison University
Harrisonburg, Virginia
APS Students Applied: 716
APS Students Accepted: 349
Tuition & Fees: $13,576
Enrollment: 20,346
1
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, Virginia
APS Students Applied: 749
APS Students Accepted: 218
Tuition & Fees: $15,478
Enrollment: 30,434