More than 20,000 prospective students have applied for admission to Colgate University for a third consecutive year.
Interest in a Colgate education remains strong; applications have more than doubled since 2019. Further, Early Decision I applications increased by 24% over last year’s admission cycle.
In total, 20,711 prospective students applied for admission by the deadline for regular admission on Jan. 15, and representatives of the Colgate Office of Admission say that the academic quality of the applicant pool is remarkably strong.
New York, California, New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Texas are the top five states for domestic applications, and there was a 7% increase in first-generation applicants.
Jones and Wood Family Vice President for Admission and Financial Aid Gary Ross said the continued significant interest in Colgate is a clear indication that the University’s support for increased financial aid opportunities through the Colgate Commitment is having an impact.
The Colgate Commitment, first launched in 2020, removes federal loans for families with an income of $175,000 or less, and it eliminates tuition for accepted students with a family income of $80,000 or less. This also marks the fourth year of the University’s test-optional pilot program.
“The message that Colgate’s outstanding educational opportunities are affordable for the most talented students continues to resonate,” said Ross. “The admission and financial aid teams have worked hard to remove barriers and support students through the application process, and we have seen the clear results of that work throughout the past several application cycles.”
Dean of Admission and Financial Aid Tara Bubble said it remains too soon to understand how a 2023 U.S. Supreme Court decision to remove the use of race as a factor in admission decisions will impact the final composition of the Class of 2028.
“The Colgate admission and financial aid teams have done a tremendous job adjusting to exponential increases in applications and drastically changing circumstances in recent years and are prepared to do so again this cycle,” said Bubble.
Regular Decision applicants may still convert their application to Early Decision II by Feb. 1. The deposit deadline is May 1.