Admissions not affected
Economy has no effect on applications
By David Reese
Staff Reporter

Dean of Admissions Ray Brown said TCU admission applications have remained consistent with last year’s numbers despite the economic downturn in recent months.

Brown said most universities can expect between a 1 to 5 percent increase in applications from year to year, bu after a17 percent increase in applications for the 2001-2002 school year it was unrealistic to expect the same type of increase any time soon.

Ben Andrews/SKIFF STAFF John Billingsley, a junior accounting major, helps prospective students to gain more knowledge about TCU during a campus tour.

He said the admissions department received about 4,600 applications since the beginning of this academic year compared to 4,650 by the middle of January 2001.

Brown said the number of applications at this point will possibly increase slightly compared to last year’s numbers.

He does not believe the recent national economic problems will affect the application process but does think it may come into effect later in the spring when potential students will decide if they will attend TCU, he said.

Brown said online applications have dramatically increased.

Last year was the first time the TCU application was available online, Brown said. TCU received approximately 50 online applications last year, he said. So far this year, the Office of Admissions received nearly 400 online applications. This is nearly an 800 percent increase from the previous year.Brown said the online applications have been quite successful considering little information about online applications have been sent to prospective students.

Ben Alexander, director of admissions marketing, said the only information made aware to potential students about online applications was the prominent link on the TCU Web site. Also, about 1,000 to 1,200 e-mails were sent to students who had previously visited the campus but had not yet applied, Alexander said.

Brown said he believes within seven years, 90 percent of all applications will be electronic and eventually all of them will be received over the Internet.

Alexander said that TCU is also trying to increase communication of all the admission’s information such as pamphlets and booklets available on the Web through newsletters and e-mails.

He said besides the online application process, the Office of Admissions is trying to coordinate its printed information with their online material. Its intent was to have a Web page for every page of printed material.

David Reese
D.W.Reese@student.tcu.edu

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