A new benchmark was set in Colgate University’s admissions office this year. In all, 17,392 students applied to the Hamilton, New York-based institution. This marks a 102.6% increase from just last year. Yes, you read that correctly: a 102.6% increase in applications year over year. Colgate’s previous application record tally stood at 9,951 for the Class of 2023 so, well, the university has surely blown that record away…in style! Of course, Colgate’s surge in applications to the Class of 2025 is consistent with the trend at all of our nation’s highly selective universities this year: the pandemic has led to record applications to these institutions.

As Daniel DeVries writes in a press release on the Colgate Class of 2025, “This record year also includes major growth in applications from students of color, students in the Southeast, and those hailing from countries outside of the United States. An early data review also points to an overall increase in the academic quality of applications compared to previous years…Dean of Admission Tara Bubble said she has heard many opinions about why the application increase was so significant this year, but she firmly believes it all comes down to data. ‘I’ve been trying to figure out how to concisely explain the tremendous amount of work and planning that went into this increase,’ Bubble said. ‘Admission has been strategically changing our operation for the past two years. This year is when all the stars came into alignment, and we’re seeing the benefit of it. It was all about managing our prospective student base and building on the number and quality of interactions. This year, we absolutely saw that that paid off.'”

Congratulations to Colgate University’s admissions office on their banner year! Let’s see if they can keep up these numbers in the years to come.