Will College Admissions Be Easier For 2022?

College admissions trends are always changing, so it’s important for high school seniors to keep up with the latest information. Read on to learn more about the key changes that may impact your ability to get into a good college in 2022.

Some colleges are now going test-optional, meaning that they don’t require students to submit SAT or ACT scores as part of their applications. Some are even going test-blind, which means that students won’t be able to see their scores on their applications.

1. The number of applicants is up

The number of applicants for college admissions has been on the rise over the past few years. And the trend continues for 2022.

As students return to school after a long winter break, colleges are seeing more applications than ever before. That’s thanks to a variety of factors, including the coronavirus pandemic that hit the US in 2021 and a growing focus on diversity and inclusion.

Those trends are driving higher applications at colleges across the country, according to a new analysis from the Common Application. It finds that the average applicant submitted 6.22 applications in 2021-22, up from 4.63 applications in 2013-14.

More applicants means more competition, especially for high-quality schools with highly selective admissions standards. It also means more opportunities for students with less-than-perfect SAT or ACT scores to still get into top-tier institutions.

That’s why it’s so important for students to submit applications to a balanced set of “target” colleges. Those include a mixture of public, private, and independent universities.

In addition, students should keep in mind that the number of test-optional colleges has grown significantly in 2021-22. While this isn’t necessarily a bad thing for applicants, it may be challenging for some students who aren’t used to applying without submitting test scores.

One of the reasons that many colleges are implementing test-optional admissions policies is to help ensure that all students have a chance to attend. It’s a win-win for everyone: Students with lower-than-expected standardized test scores still have the opportunity to apply to colleges that will accept them; and colleges can admit more students who are committed to attending if they don’t have to worry about reaching their enrollment target.

For example, at Columbia University, 4,085 students submitted binding Early Decision applications in the cycle, a 16% increase over last year. However, this figure falls short of the record-setting pool the University had in the same round in 2020-21.

It’s clear that the number of applications is up and will continue to rise for 2022, which is why it’s so important for students to put together a balanced list of colleges. That way, they’ll have a fighting chance of getting into their dream college.

2. The number of accepted students is down

The college admissions pandemic of 2020 had an unprecedented number of applicants and record-low admission rates, and the trend seems to be continuing in 2022. There are a few reasons for this.

The first is that many students are choosing to take a gap year between high school and college. This can be a helpful way to focus on academics or take time away from social media and other distractions. It also helps them to prepare for the next stage of their lives and decide which school to attend.

Another factor affecting the number of accepted students is that colleges are filling their classes earlier than ever. Barnard, for example, finalized 62 percent of its freshman class before considering regular-decision applications this year. This was an all-time high and a major departure from the college’s previous practice, which involved waiting until the end of February to make decisions.

In addition to this, there has been an increase in test-optional schools, and colleges are starting to consider the human part of a student’s application more than ever before. This can be especially important for students who may not have the best SAT or ACT scores but want to apply to more prestigious schools.

There has also been a rise in the number of students who are first-generation and/or underrepresented. These groups are more likely to apply early to top colleges due to test-optional policies and generous financial aid packages.

Some schools are also eliminating legacy preferences, which used to give a disproportionate advantage to the children of alumni. These measures are becoming less popular because they can unfairly favor the wealthy.

In the end, this trend will only help students. It will still be important for students to ensure that they submit a well-rounded application with a balanced list of schools. This is also true of students who are applying to regular-decision rounds.

3. The number of waitlisted students is up

When a school has more applicants than spaces available, they create a waitlist. These lists are active for the entire year, and schools make offers to their waitlisted students in rank order when seats become available.

Many admissions experts believe that waitlists are up, especially at more selective universities. This is because more highly qualified applicants are gaining access to these top schools, and that can lead to students being on waitlists for more than one college.

However, even if you are waitlisted for your first choice university, don’t be discouraged. Rather, it’s important to keep your options open, and submit a deposit at a backup school in case you do not get admitted to your first-choice campus.

While you’re waitlisted, you should stay in touch with the admissions office as much as possible. This can be done through a letter of continued interest (LOCI), email, or phone call.

This type of response can be a big help for your chances at getting off the waitlist and being offered acceptance. LOCIs are typically evaluated by college counselors more closely than usual in order to see how much you’ve improved since the application process, and they can also demonstrate that you’re willing to put in the extra work needed to be successful at the college you’re waitlisted for.

It’s also important to realize that many colleges are extremely selective, and they will look for ways to fill their classes as efficiently as possible. In addition to considering your academic qualifications, they will also take into account your gender and diversity background when deciding whether or not to accept you off the waitlist.

Some colleges are so selective that they’ll accept almost no students off their waitlists at all. This is because they don’t want to take on more students than they can handle, and that’s the best way to ensure their class remains small and cohesive. Other colleges, such as Cornell University, are more lenient about their waitlists and will only offer students who truly have a chance of being admitted off the waitlist.

4. The number of accepted students is down

College admissions are a complicated process, so the number of accepted students is an important part of the equation. It also helps schools determine if a student is a good fit.

But this year’s acceptance rate at many of the country’s top universities is down from last year. At colleges like Amherst, Boston College, Colgate and Harvard, the number of admitted students has dropped by nearly a percentage point between the 2021 and 2022 admission cycles.

This is a huge concern for schools that want to ensure they have a diverse student body and encourage students to enroll in programs that will allow them to thrive. A lower number of accepted students will make it difficult to fill their classes, especially for larger schools like those at Yale and Princeton.

Meanwhile, smaller institutions that focus on low-income and first-generation students seem to have avoided enrollment declines because they were able to attract more Hispanic and African American applicants. Chris Domes, president of Neumann University, a small private Catholic school in Pennsylvania, believes that focusing on underrepresented groups helped his institution avoid some of the pitfalls that other colleges faced in terms of low enrollments.

Some of these smaller institutions are now experiencing robust increases in their student populations. But others are struggling to keep up with the rapid pace of demographic change, according to Terry Hartle, senior vice president of government relations and public affairs at the American Council on Education.

While enrollment officials at some institutions that saw robust gains are publicly announcing their numbers, those at institutions where the trend continues to go south are likely to remain silent.

For example, Washington State’s five public universities, which rely on community college transfers, saw their enrollment dip this fall. That’s because fewer community college students in the state are choosing to transfer to four-year colleges, said Saichi Oba, the system’s vice president for enrollment management.

The bottom line is that the number of admitted students is down this year at both larger and smaller universities, making it difficult to predict how easy it will be to fill the class for 2022. But if students and families continue to apply and prepare for the process, then it’s likely that colleges will be able to keep their acceptance rates above average.