Countdown to college: College applications at their peak this month

Published online on Monday, Nov. 09, 2009

I am going to go out on a limb here and predict that this November will generate more college applications than any month in history.

In 2009 the number of high school graduates peaked at 3.3 million. The number in 2010 is expected to drop ever so slightly. More students are choosing to go to college than ever before and the average number of applications per student is way up over just a decade ago.

So, there are more students and more applications - and that means tougher competition. The number of applications has increased 24 percent between 2002 and 2006 and the average acceptance rate has decreased 3.9 percent.

But much more impressive than sheer numbers is the commitment by colleges to engage and attract first-generation students and minority applicants. Programs such as the College Foundation of North Carolina's (CFNC) College Application Week encourage students who might otherwise have thought college was not within reach.

This year College Application Week runs Nov. 16-20. Its goal is to provide every graduating high school senior the opportunity to apply to college online using www.cfnc.org. The program has grown dramatically and last year it was expanded to 293 high schools and 19,000 students who submitted almost 38,000 online applications in just one week.

Lee Bierer is an independent college adviser based in Charlotte, N.C. For more information, visit www.collegeadmissionsstrategies.com.