Several leading liberal arts colleges have seen a decline in received applications this year.
Williams College received 20 percent fewer applications this year, while applications to Middlebury College were down by 12 percent. Of the U.S. News and World Report’s eight top-ranked liberal arts colleges, seven received fewer applications this year than they did last year.
The number of applications to Vassar, however, was up from last year. According to Dean of Admission David Borus, Vassar, which is ranked number 11 on the U.S. News and World Report list, received about 200 more applications this year than it did last year.
Part of the drop in application numbers across many institutions may be due to the economic recession. Advanced Placement exams, SAT tests and application fees add to the cost of preparing for college, and the tuition at most liberal arts schools increases every year. Thus the total number of people submitting applications to colleges in general may have decreased because of the recession.
For example, the cost of attending Vassar for the 2008/09 academic year was $49,250, not including the $2,060 that the Admissions Web site recommends students keep available for books and school supplies. This cost, which includes room and board, is higher than last year’s $46,685 tuition.
Swarthmore College, which the Princeton Review rated the “Best Value” private college, costs $47,468 this year, including room and board. A $336 student activity fee is also required of Swarthmore students.
Thus, though Vassar and Swarthmore both offer comprehensive financial aid packages, the draw of a public college with much lower tuition may pull students away from these and other liberal arts institutions.
“I think it is significant that [Vassar was] up at all this year, given the financial crisis,” said Borus. “It shows that Vassar continues to be a popular choice among high school students.”
Though Borus cautioned that the number of applications to any institution goes in cycles, he noted that there was very a significant increase in applications to Vassar in 2007.
“Last year we went up almost 1,000 from the year before that,” said Borus. “I think that it’s a good sign.”
Two years ago, Vassar began a need-blind admissions policy, meaning that an applicant’s financial situation is no longer factored into the admissions process. Boris noted that the switch to need-blind admissions might have increased applications, but he is confident that variety other factors also played a role.
This year’s increase in applications to Vassar cannot be explained by need-blind admissions alone, as Amherst, Williams and Swarthmore Colleges, as well as several other schools that saw a drop in applicants, also practice need-blind admission.
Other schools saw an increase in applications. According to the Smith College Sophian, Smith received six percent more applicants this year than it did last year.
Like Vassar and Smith, most private universities saw an increase in applicants this year. Out of all of the Ivy League schools, only the University of Pennsylvania saw a drop in applicants.
Correction added, 3.26.09 at 1 a.m.
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