Undergrad applications at all-time high
Admissions reports increase of 18.5 percent as highest ever

By Carrie Woodall
Staff Reporter

Increased national and regional exposure of the university is bringing in a record-breaking number of undergraduate applications to the office of admissions, Dean of Admissions Ray Brown said.

Last year, the incoming application record was set at 5,055. However, admissions received application No. 5,056 last week and has already gotten more than 400 more applications since then.

“We have had a huge run of really positive press,” Brown said. “And the Commission on the Future (of TCU) has gained a lot of press too.”

The majority of this increase in applications is coming from Texas students, and that is where the commission’s major focus was set, he said.

Brown said the fact that TCU had a top 10 football team and a Heisman Trophy candidate cannot be discounted from greatly increasing publicity.

“I was at a college fair in Seattle when three high school guys approached me saying, ‘Texas Christian University — the home of LaDainian Tomlinson,’ he said. “You can’t just buy that kind of popularity in advertising.”

Admissions counselor Micah Marin said that along with the impact of the athletics department, the availability of information on the Internet has also helped the visibility of the university.

“There is easier access to find out about all the options students can choose from,” he said. “The students can actually look at schools they never knew about, including (TCU).”

Brown said TCU has had increases every year for the last five years, but they’ve all been just slightly more than the year before.

“This is truly huge,” he said. “I’ve never been a part of an institution that ended the year even 10 percent ahead, and right now we are running 18.5 percent (ahead).”

William Koehler, vice chancellor for academic affairs, said he is pleased with the increase but not surprised.

“My colleagues in admissions are among the best in the country,” he said. “Also, my colleagues in marketing work very hard putting the university before a variety of publics.”

TCU will send out approximately 3,500 acceptance letters to prospective students. However, there is an enrollment cap of 1,500 students that can actually be enrolled for fall 2001.

Koehler said the university will strive to hold the enrollment goals.

“Since space in the freshman class is limited, not all who apply will be able to enroll in the fall term.”

Brown said the students who receive acceptance letters and actually attend TCU produces about a 38 percent yield, which is higher than many other institutions.

“Institutions of higher education admit more students than are going to enroll,” he said. “Everywhere does. It is just that the yields will vary.”

According to the Princeton Review 2000 Edition, last year Southern Methodist University yielded 35 percent, Trinity University in San Antonio yielded 31 percent and Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh yielded 23 percent.

“Most colleges just break even or go a little over their record for applications, but TCU reached a high percentage that this university has never seen at any other time before,” Marin said.

Carrie Woodall
c.d.woodall@student.tcu.edu