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<p>Colleges Where Applications Are on the Rise<br>
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<p><a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://247wallst.com/special-report/2017/10/19/colleges-where-applications-are-on-the-rise/">http://247wallst.com/special-report/2017/10/19/colleges-where-applications-are-on-the-rise/</a>
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<p>The U.S. job market is becoming increasingly competitive, and a
college degree may be more necessary today than ever before.
Rising educational attainment among American adults partially
reflects the changing demands of the workplace. The share the U.S.
adult population with at least a four-year college degree climbed
from 27.5% to 31.3% over the last 10 years.</p>
<p>As more Americans are seeking higher education, some colleges and
universities are reporting tremendous spikes in the number of
undergraduate applicants. Dozens of four-year schools across the
country are reporting that applications have more than doubled in
the last decade.</p>
<p>24/7 Wall St. reviewed 10-year changes in the number of
applications in over 1,500 postsecondary schools to identify the
100 colleges where applications rose the most. Applications at the
vast majority of schools on this list increased by over 150% from
2006 to 2016.</p>
<p>The nationwide increase in applications is not solely a product
of rising interest in higher education. Young Americans also
appear to be applying to more schools.</p>
<p>The process of applying to multiple schools has become easier
with the wider use of the Common Application — a standard form
accepted by hundreds of higher education institutions. As more
colleges and universities adopt the Common Application, it is not
unusual for a single person to apply to more than a dozen schools.</p>
<p>The number of schools applied to per aspiring student has also
likely increased as students have become more strategic in the
application process. Today’s high school graduates are more likely
to apply to both top-tier institutions and also hedge their bets
by applying to schools with higher acceptance rates.</p>
<p>For many college applicants, getting into the best possible
school is the most important consideration. Though there are no
Ivy League schools on this list, there are a number of highly
selective, top tier institutions — including Vanderbilt and the
University of Chicago, which only accept 11% and 8% of applicants,
respectively.</p>
<p>Other schools on this list, on the other hand, may be surging in
popularity exactly because they are far less selective, accepting
most applicants. Half a dozen of the schools on this list have
acceptance rates of 90% or higher.</p>
<p>College can be very expensive, and for some prospective students,
spending the least on tuition — or incurring the least amount of
debt — is the most important consideration when deciding which
schools to apply to. Over half of the schools on this list are
public schools, many of which have steep tuition discounts for
in-state students.</p>
<p>For other schools on this list, the application spike may be
attributable to extra benefits and amenities not offered at
competing institutions. For example, Seton Hall University in New
Jersey recently started providing students with new, fully loaded
laptops upon enrollment. The number of applications to Seton Hall
was 188% higher in 2016 than it was in 2006.</p>
<p>In other cases, schools have added popular programs in recent
years that largely account for the spike in applicants. One such
school, National Louis University in Chicago, has reported one of
the largest jumps in applicants since enacting Pathways, a program
aimed at helping historically underserved populations obtain a
college education.</p>
<p>Using data from the National Center for Education Statistics,
24/7 Wall St. identified the 100 colleges with the largest 10-year
percentage increase in applicants from the 2006-2007 school year
to the 2016-2017 year. Only schools with at least 3,000
undergraduates in 2006 were included.</p>
<p class="byline konafilter">By Samuel Stebbins</p>
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<div class="wp-caption aligncenter"
src="https://247wallst.files.wordpress.com/2017/01/washington-state-university-in-pullman-whitman-county-washington1.jpg"
alt="" width="645" height="363"
data-credit="Thinkstock" data-id="370508"
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src="https://247wallst.files.wordpress.com/2017/01/washington-state-university-in-pullman-whitman-county-washington1.jpg?w=645&h=363"
alt="" data-credit="Thinkstock" data-id="370508" data-caption=""
height="363" width="645">
<div class="wallst_image_source"><span>Source:</span> Thinkstock</div>
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<p><strong>77. Washington State University, Washington</strong><br>
<strong>> 10-year increase in applications:</strong> 149.3%<br>
<strong>> 2015-16 applications:</strong> 23,223<br>
<strong>> Total undergraduate enrollment:</strong> 33,328<br>
<strong>> Acceptance rate:</strong> 72%</p>
<p> </p>
<div class="wp-caption aligncenter"
src="https://247wallst.files.wordpress.com/2017/10/gettyimages-858516850.jpg"
alt="" width="645" height="363"
data-credit="Gene Sweeney Jr./Getty Images"
data-id="420020" data-caption" style="width: 655px"><img
class="aligncenter replaced"
src="https://247wallst.files.wordpress.com/2017/10/gettyimages-858516850.jpg?w=645&h=363"
alt="" data-credit="Gene Sweeney Jr./Getty Images"
data-id="420020" data-caption="" height="363" width="645">
<div class="wallst_image_source"><span>Source:</span> Gene Sweeney
Jr./Getty Images</div>
</div>
<p><strong>76. Boise State University, Idaho</strong><br>
<strong>> 10-year increase in applications:</strong> 149.4%<br>
<strong>> 2015-16 applications:</strong> 8,330<br>
<strong>> Total undergraduate enrollment:</strong> 28,888<br>
<strong>> Acceptance rate:</strong> 82%</p>
<div class="wp-caption aligncenter"
src="https://247wallst.files.wordpress.com/2016/09/montana-state-university-e1474047722600.jpg"
alt="" width="645" height="363"
data-credit="Wikimedia Commons"
data-id="353221" data-caption" style="width: 655px"><img
class="aligncenter replaced"
src="https://247wallst.files.wordpress.com/2016/09/montana-state-university-e1474047722600.jpg?w=645&h=363"
alt="" data-credit="Wikimedia Commons" data-id="353221"
data-caption="" height="363" width="645">
<div class="wallst_image_source"><span>Source:</span> Wikimedia
Commons</div>
</div>
<p><strong>69. Montana State University, Montana</strong><br>
<strong>> 10-year increase in applications:</strong> 158.1%<br>
<strong>> 2015-16 applications:</strong> 15,996<br>
<strong>> Total undergraduate enrollment:</strong> 17,390<br>
<strong>> Acceptance rate:</strong> 83%</p>
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<div class="wp-caption aligncenter"
src="https://247wallst.files.wordpress.com/2017/04/suzzallo-library-university-of-washington-seattle.jpg"
alt="" width="645" height="363"
data-credit="Thinkstock" data-id="385018"
data-caption" style="width: 655px"><img class="aligncenter
replaced"
src="https://247wallst.files.wordpress.com/2017/04/suzzallo-library-university-of-washington-seattle.jpg?w=645&h=363"
alt="" data-credit="Thinkstock" data-id="385018" data-caption=""
height="363" width="645">
<div class="wallst_image_source"><span>Source:</span> Thinkstock</div>
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<p><strong>54. University of Washington-Seattle Campus, Washington</strong><br>
<strong>> 10-year increase in applications:</strong> 173.3%<br>
<strong>> 2015-16 applications:</strong> 43,517<br>
<strong>> Total undergraduate enrollment:</strong> 50,374<br>
<strong>> Acceptance rate:</strong> 45%</p>
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<p>There are 4,726 Title IV degree-granting institutions in the
United States. The University of Idaho is one of them, but it is
not on this list of more rapidly growing institutions over the
last decade.</p>
<p><a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://247wallst.com/special-report/2017/10/19/colleges-where-applications-are-on-the-rise/">http://247wallst.com/special-report/2017/10/19/colleges-where-applications-are-on-the-rise/</a>
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<p>Ken</p>
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