At this time of year, when many high school students are making decisions on where to attend college in the fall, Disciples affiliated schools are reporting a record number of applications for admission for the upcoming academic year. Texas Christian University broke the mark of receiving over 20,000 applications for the first time. At Chapman University, 14,170 applications were received (an 8% increase over last year) and represent students from all 50 states as well as 62 countries.
Other Disciples affiliated schools also report growth in the number of applications received:
- Midway University has experienced a 69% increase in applications from 2017 to 2018
- Transylvania University saw a jump from 1400 to 2400 applications between 2016 to 2017. This year is on pace to reach 2400 again.
- Drury University has seen a 27% growth in applications from 2015 to 2018
- Hiram College has received 33% more applications in 2018 than were received in 2016
- Bethany College has experienced 22% growth in applications over the past two years
- Lynchburg College and William Woods University have seen a 10% increase over the past two years
- Over the past six years, Culver-Stockton College has gone from averaging 1,500 applications to nearly 4,600 per year.
When discussing possible reasons for the increase in applicants over the past few years, admissions counselors shared that there are several factors. Through increasingly sophisticated marketing strategies, schools are able to share their messaging more directly and personally with students and families. In addition, an ever-increasing number of schools use the Common Application, making it easier for students to apply to multiple schools.