Record number apply to TCU
Brent Yarina
Staff Reporter

The admissions department has been busier this year than in the past handling a record number of applications, but the added workload is a sign of TCU’s increasing popularity, Dean of Admissions Ray Brown said Monday.

Brown said the university received a record 7,496 applications this year, yielding a 22 percent increase from the previous year. He said last year TCU set a university record by receiving 6,137 applications.

“The popularity of this place didn’t catch fire until a few years ago,” Brown said. “This is a new phenomenon for us.”

Brown said he credits the continual rise in applications TCU has received over the last three years to the university’s students, faculty and staff.

“Our faculty is superb and our prospective students tell us that our current students are among the most welcoming they’ve encountered anywhere during the admission process,” he said.

Chancellor Michael Ferrari said he is delighted to see the number of applications climb near 7,500 and that the figure far exceeds any of his expectations.

“Applications are on the rise in a number of universities these days, but I am not aware of any that seem to be getting the dramatic increases from very good high school students that TCU is receiving,” he said.

Ferrari said the most important factor in attracting prospective students to the university is the quality of education TCU provides.

“The application rates confirm the perceived value and quality of a TCU education, the dedication of our faculty and staff, and a genuine, caring atmosphere for students,” he said.

Brown said despite the number of applications TCU has received, the university made the decision last year to keep the undergraduate population between 6,800 and 7,000.

“It amazes me, but we still continue to receive applications nearly every day,” Brown said.

He said even though TCU continues to receive applications, the university will not admit any more students. Brown said the university wants to admit 1,650 students in the freshman class next fall.

“The pressure is to remain mid-sized,” he said. “That gets tougher with every increase in applications since so many more folks want to be a part of this place that’s the hottest in the land.”

Ferrari said one of the best recruiting tools the university implements is its Monday at TCU program. He said the program creates a more popular institution because it exposes prospective students and their families to the numerous qualities the university has to offer, including a friendly campus population and excellent academic and residential facilities.

“I really think that more and more people are discovering the extraordinary institution that TCU is and they want to be part of it,” he said.

Beth Kolodkin, a student who attended Monday at TCU this week, said TCU is her first choice because the university’s students and faculty members are friendly and make everyone feel welcome.

“TCU makes you feel like a student, not a number,” Kolodkin said.

b.j.yarina@tcu.edu