Virginia Tech receives record number of undergraduate applications
Virginia Tech received a record number of undergraduate applications for admission to the Class of 2019. The almost 22,500 freshman applications received to date is a 7.6 percent increase over last year’s total of 20,897.
“As a land-grant institution, we are committed to increasing access to higher education,” said President Timothy Sands. “As we attract a larger and more diverse pool of talented and high-achieving students from the commonwealth and around the world, the university hopes to meet the challenge of expanding access so we can continue to produce more degree recipients in STEM and health fields as well as in other areas such as the university’s programs in the arts, humanities, and social sciences.”
Virginia Tech’s seven colleges with undergraduate degrees are innovating and reimagining their programs of study to meet the employment and education demands of the 21st century. The university’s 2012-18 strategic plan, “A Plan for a New Horizon,” calls on the university community to create an academic environment that prepares students to “respond to the challenges of a complex world.”
“Our diverse programs of study – particularly our new majors in packaging systems and design, water, multimedia journalism, criminology, and neuroscience, among others – have increased interest from prospective students,” said Wanda Hankins Dean, vice provost for enrollment and degree management. “These interdisciplinary programs prepare graduates for fields with strong job demand and fulfilling career paths.”
In addition to innovative programs of study and Virginia Tech’s community of service, according to Dean, the record is due to Virginia Tech’s collaborative strategic enrollment management planning and a highly personalized admissions process.
Most of Virginia Tech’s colleges experienced an increase in applications; of significance are increases of 16 percent in the Pamplin College of Business and 13 percent in the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences. The College of Engineering continues to see great interest due its national prominence and rankings with more than 9,000 applications this year for an estimated 1,650 spaces, representing anticipated growth in the entering class by as much as 18 percent.
“Although we are making every effort to expand access to Virginia Tech in response to the increase in the size, diversity, and academic strengths of the applicant pool, there will be qualified students who we cannot accommodate in some of our impacted programs where application growth has been greatest,” said Mildred Johnson, associate vice provost for enrollment management and director of undergraduate admissions. “We actively recruit transfer students so there will be additional opportunities for students to seek admission to Virginia Tech.”
As demand for Virginia Tech increases, the university will be further exploring opportunities for strategic growth.
The Office of Undergraduate Admissions notifies regular decision applicants of admissions decisions by April 1. Students must reply by May 1.
Written by Alison Matthiessen.
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