And the winner is…

During lunch with our new local admissions rep in November, I was shocked to learn that the University of Tampa's population has roughly doubled in ten years. I’ve watched the school grow more popular each year, but more applications don’t usually translate to that kind of growth. Stories about students unable to secure housing seemed to be related to pandemic restrictions, but they continued. While Covid may have been a factor in 2020 and 2021, the reason today is that admissions received 44,365 applications to fill 2,400 spots. Over 1000 students were offered the waitlist.

If you wondered why you were waitlisted by the University of Tampa, a school you counted as a likely, now you know why. (Don’t take it personally–it’s never about you, but institutional priorities). Each year, Tampa becomes more selective as more applications roll in.

It’s not surprising that students, 70% from out of state, are attracted to a beautiful, midsized campus on the waterfront that offers a high quality of life. A new tech building, housing data science and cybersecurity, was recently added to already-impressive facilities for business and the arts. There are 200 majors, an Honors program with exclusive housing, 20 restaurants, 21 D2 sports, and access to a city offering internships and nightlife.

For the first time, Tampa’s admit rate dropped below 50% in 2022. This year’s admit rate was 26.9%, not so different from Tulane’s longtime pre-pandemic number.

How will the Tampa admissions office handle the tsunami of applications likely to roll in from the class of 2024? For the first time, an ED option will be added to the choices of rolling and early action. The University of Vermont found ED to be an effective enrollment management strategy this year. They admitted 85% of the 400 ED applicants and even awarded them merit aid.

So if you love the “very popular” University of Tampa, the news is that it’s no longer a likely for many applicants. Consider applying ED.