The past few months have provided ample evidence of how pressure to get into a certain college has spun out of control. Look no further than the college admissions scandal involving parents allegedly paying up to $6.5 million to get their kids into elite schools.
But an annual survey released this week provides a reminder that, despite media coverage of unethical behavior and a stress-filled college application season, the reality is that many colleges are hungry for students.
More than 400 colleges still have space available and many even have financial aid and housing on offer, according to a survey by the National Association for College Admissions Counseling.
The schools that still have space are a mix of community colleges, regional four-year public schools, flagship public colleges and private, nonprofit colleges.
The group, which represents both high-school college counselors and college-admissions representatives, surveys its members each year to see who has space after May 1, which is typically the deadline for students to tell the schools where they’ve been accepted if they plan to attend. The schools that still have space are a mix of community colleges, regional four-year public schools, flagship public colleges and private, nonprofit colleges.
Private schools from Syracuse University in New York to Earlham College in Indiana to Knox College in Illinois are still accepting applications for freshmen and still have financial aid and housing available. Public colleges including Montclair State University in New Jersey and Central Michigan University are also accepting applications for freshman and have housing and financial aid available.
In addition, a wide swath of community colleges are on the list. Of course, just because a school is still accepting applications isn’t a guarantee a student will get in. An applicant still needs to meet the school’s admissions requirements and spots may be limited.
“We do have a variety of schools on the list every year,” said Melissa Clinedinst, NACAC’s director of research. “Sometimes for people who aren’t really engaged in the inside business of admissions that might seem surprising.”
Indeed, with headlines swirling surrounding the college admissions scandal in which parents apparently were so desperate to secure slots at elite schools that they allegedly resorted to bribery, it’s easy to believe that the bulk of colleges have single-digit admissions rate. But the reality is different: These schools actually educate a very small percentage of the nation’s college students.
Demographic trends over the past few years mean that there are fewer high-school graduates for colleges to pull from than in the past.
“Overall there are a lot of great colleges out there and most students who want to go to college and go through the process of applying are going to find themselves in a place for them,” Clinedinst said, noting that the average acceptance rate for four-year colleges is about 66%.
Colleges may still be searching for students for a variety of reasons. Demographic trends over the past few years mean that there are fewer high-school graduates for colleges to pull from than in the past. In addition, some schools have an ongoing or rolling admissions process, Clinedinst said.
And even for those relatively selective schools that follow a typical admissions timeline, predicting the number of accepted students who will attend — known as the yield rate — can be tough in part because students are submitting so many college applications, Clinedinst said.
“Colleges may find themselves with space available and able to accept additional applications just because they got that predication a little off,” she said.
It’s unlikely students will find super selective schools on the list because they often have that yield rate down to a precise science.
For students interested in submitting an application to a school on the list, Clinedinst suggests doing some additional research through resources like the Department of Education’s College Scorecard to make sure they’re comfortable with metrics like the school’s graduation rate, and average debt load.
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