Skip to Content

50 colleges where applications are on the rise compared to pre-COVID


Tero Vesalainen // Shutterstock

50 colleges where applications are on the rise compared to pre-COVID

A student filling out a college application.

This summer, high school students worldwide will begin researching the colleges that best suit their ambitions for the future, sending millions of applications to their top schools by the fall.

Numerade analyzed National Center for Education Statistics data to rank the 50 colleges where applications are growing the fastest. To be included, colleges and universities had to receive at least 2,000 applications in the 2022-2023 school year and offer four-year degrees. They are ranked by the percent increase in applications from the 2019-2020 school year to the 2022-2023 school year, the latest data available.

College application volumes have grown steadily over the past decade, plateauing in 2020 and rising again the following year. The COVID-19 pandemic presented a blow to the college experience, altering it completely and pushing enrollees into online courses they didn’t intend to take. Applications have seen growth, but by 2022, around 1.5 million fewer students were enrolled in college than before the pandemic.

Some schools have continued to grow their applications by more than 100% from 2019-2022 despite survey data suggesting that the overall enrollment decline is primarily due to the belief that a college degree holds less value today than in previous decades. That’s despite evidence of a growing earnings gap between young people with college degrees and those without. The typical college degree recipient can earn $20,000 more annually when entering the workforce than their peers without a degree, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

In the fall of 2022, prospective first-time undergraduate students sent more than 13 million applications to U.S. schools. Technical schools, as well as those focused on nursing and private Christian colleges, made up a number of the top schools for post-COVID application growth, according to NCES data.

Read on to see which U.S. colleges and universities saw the largest growth in applications, as well as their admissions growth.



James R. Martin // Shutterstock

#50. Bethune-Cookman University

James R. Martin // Shutterstock

Located in Daytona Beach, Florida
-Total applicants in the 2022-23 school year: 12,818
— 81.0% more than in 2019
— 138.3% change from 2012
– Students admitted in the 2022-23 school year: 10,891
— 83.0% change from 2019
— 175.5% change from 2012



Canva

#49. Clemson University

Canva

Located in Clemson, South Carolina
-Total applicants in the 2022-23 school year: 52,819
— 81.7% more than in 2019
— 209.4% change from 2012
– Students admitted in the 2022-23 school year: 22,704
— 52.4% change from 2019
— 110.2% change from 2012



Wirestock Creators // Shutterstock

#48. Southern Illinois University-Carbondale

Wirestock Creators // Shutterstock

Located in Carbondale, Illinois
-Total applicants in the 2022-23 school year: 9,771
— 81.7% more than in 2019
— -32.8% change from 2012
– Students admitted in the 2022-23 school year: 8,940
— 150.5% change from 2019
— 19.6% change from 2012



Canva

#47. The University of Montana

Canva

Located in Missoula, Montana
-Total applicants in the 2022-23 school year: 8,943
— 82.1% more than in 2019
— 67.9% change from 2012
– Students admitted in the 2022-23 school year: 8,530
— 84.9% change from 2019
— 70.4% change from 2012



Canva

#46. Schreiner University

Canva

Located in Kerrville, Texas
-Total applicants in the 2022-23 school year: 2,202
— 84.4% more than in 2019
— 187.1% change from 2012
– Students admitted in the 2022-23 school year: 1,876
— 68.6% change from 2019
— 156.6% change from 2012



Canva

#45. Indiana State University

Canva

Located in Terre Haute, Indiana
-Total applicants in the 2022-23 school year: 18,531
— 85.2% more than in 2019
— 73.0% change from 2012
– Students admitted in the 2022-23 school year: 17,105
— 90.8% change from 2019
— 85.0% change from 2012



Susan Montgomery // Shutterstock

#44. University of Michigan-Dearborn

Susan Montgomery // Shutterstock

Located in Dearborn, Michigan
-Total applicants in the 2022-23 school year: 12,026
— 85.9% more than in 2019
— 158.5% change from 2012
– Students admitted in the 2022-23 school year: 6,506
— 62.3% change from 2019
— 124.3% change from 2012



Canva

#43. College of Charleston

Canva

Located in Charleston, South Carolina
-Total applicants in the 2022-23 school year: 22,020
— 86.9% more than in 2019
— 98.6% change from 2012
– Students admitted in the 2022-23 school year: 16,666
— 80.6% change from 2019
— 104.5% change from 2012



Canva

#42. The College of Idaho

Canva

Located in Caldwell, Idaho
-Total applicants in the 2022-23 school year: 4,490
— 87.2% more than in 2019
— 223.5% change from 2012
– Students admitted in the 2022-23 school year: 2,044
— 75.3% change from 2019
— 126.9% change from 2012



quiggyt4 // Shutterstock

#41. Caldwell University

quiggyt4 // Shutterstock

Located in Caldwell, New Jersey
-Total applicants in the 2022-23 school year: 6,649
— 88.5% more than in 2019
— 153.3% change from 2012
– Students admitted in the 2022-23 school year: 4,413
— 34.2% change from 2019
— 174.4% change from 2012



Canva

#40. Grace College and Theological Seminary

Canva

Located in Winona Lake, Indiana
-Total applicants in the 2022-23 school year: 4,071
— 89.4% more than in 2019
— 64.8% change from 2012
– Students admitted in the 2022-23 school year: 3,445
— 100.6% change from 2019
— 53.2% change from 2012



John Arehart // Shutterstock

#39. Champlain College

John Arehart // Shutterstock

Located in Burlington, Vermont
-Total applicants in the 2022-23 school year: 6,940
— 91.2% more than in 2019
— 56.2% change from 2012
– Students admitted in the 2022-23 school year: 3,864
— 25.0% change from 2019
— 17.6% change from 2012



Joe Koshollek/NCAA Photos // Getty Images

#38. University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point

Joe Koshollek/NCAA Photos // Getty Images

Located in Stevens Point, Wisconsin
-Total applicants in the 2022-23 school year: 8,120
— 94.0% more than in 2019
— 59.4% change from 2012
– Students admitted in the 2022-23 school year: 7,231
— 104.4% change from 2019
— 87.8% change from 2012



Ken Wolter // Shutterstock

#37. University of Wisconsin-Stout

Ken Wolter // Shutterstock

Located in Menomonie, Wisconsin
-Total applicants in the 2022-23 school year: 6,231
— 94.6% more than in 2019
— 83.8% change from 2012
– Students admitted in the 2022-23 school year: 5,378
— 85.5% change from 2019
— 79.5% change from 2012



Chad Robertson Media // Shutterstock

#36. University of South Alabama

Chad Robertson Media // Shutterstock

Located in Mobile, Alabama
-Total applicants in the 2022-23 school year: 12,550
— 97.6% more than in 2019
— 163.1% change from 2012
– Students admitted in the 2022-23 school year: 8,203
— 64.2% change from 2019
— 97.2% change from 2012



Ken Wolter // Shutterstock

#35. California Institute of Technology

Ken Wolter // Shutterstock

Located in Pasadena, California
-Total applicants in the 2022-23 school year: 16,626
— 98.7% more than in 2019
— 218.2% change from 2012
– Students admitted in the 2022-23 school year: 448
— -16.6% change from 2019
— -32.8% change from 2012



Ken Wolter // Shutterstock

#34. University of Wisconsin-Superior

Ken Wolter // Shutterstock

Located in Superior, Wisconsin
-Total applicants in the 2022-23 school year: 2,319
— 98.9% more than in 2019
— 139.3% change from 2012
– Students admitted in the 2022-23 school year: 2,217
— 131.9% change from 2019
— 156.0% change from 2012



University of College // Shutterstock

#33. Arizona State University Campus Immersion

University of College // Shutterstock

Located in Tempe, Arizona
-Total applicants in the 2022-23 school year: 68,789
— 101.2% more than in 2019
— 131.4% change from 2012
– Students admitted in the 2022-23 school year: 61,739
— 108.8% change from 2019
— 133.6% change from 2012



Scott Taetsch/NCAA Photos // Getty Images

#32. Northwest Nazarene University

Scott Taetsch/NCAA Photos // Getty Images

Located in Nampa, Idaho
-Total applicants in the 2022-23 school year: 3,394
— 103.7% more than in 2019
— 241.8% change from 2012
– Students admitted in the 2022-23 school year: 2,993
— 110.0% change from 2019
— 348.7% change from 2012



Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post // Getty Images

#31. Fort Valley State University

Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post // Getty Images

Located in Fort Valley, Georgia
-Total applicants in the 2022-23 school year: 6,247
— 104.2% more than in 2019
— -14.9% change from 2012
– Students admitted in the 2022-23 school year: 2,692
— 69.8% change from 2019
— 14.9% change from 2012



Anna Moneymaker // Getty Images

#30. Morgan State University

Anna Moneymaker // Getty Images

Located in Baltimore
-Total applicants in the 2022-23 school year: 16,845
— 106.6% more than in 2019
— 233.5% change from 2012
– Students admitted in the 2022-23 school year: 14,382
— 160.0% change from 2019
— 383.6% change from 2012



denton.loving // Shutterstock

#29. Bennington College

denton.loving // Shutterstock

Located in Bennington, Vermont
-Total applicants in the 2022-23 school year: 2,801
— 108.4% more than in 2019
— 126.6% change from 2012
– Students admitted in the 2022-23 school year: 1,269
— 55.3% change from 2019
— 62.9% change from 2012



James Aloysius Mahan V // Shutterstock

#28. Colgate University

James Aloysius Mahan V // Shutterstock

Located in Hamilton, New York
-Total applicants in the 2022-23 school year: 21,109
— 112.1% more than in 2019
— 170.7% change from 2012
– Students admitted in the 2022-23 school year: 2,624
— 16.8% change from 2019
— 14.6% change from 2012



Spiroview Inc // Shutterstock

#27. D’Youville University

Spiroview Inc // Shutterstock

Located in Buffalo, New York
-Total applicants in the 2022-23 school year: 3,115
— 116.5% more than in 2019
— 174.4% change from 2012
– Students admitted in the 2022-23 school year: 2,618
— 106.6% change from 2019
— 180.6% change from 2012



Rosemarie Mosteller // Shutterstock

#26. University of Colorado Colorado Springs

Rosemarie Mosteller // Shutterstock

Located in Colorado Springs, Colorado
-Total applicants in the 2022-23 school year: 14,751
— 119.2% more than in 2019
— 66.7% change from 2012
– Students admitted in the 2022-23 school year: 12,504
— 113.2% change from 2019
— 137.1% change from 2012



Canva

#25. Anderson University

Canva

Located in Anderson, South Carolina
-Total applicants in the 2022-23 school year: 5,043
— 121.5% more than in 2019
— 188.2% change from 2012
– Students admitted in the 2022-23 school year: 2,289
— 46.3% change from 2019
— 83.7% change from 2012



Rob Hainer // Shutterstock

#24. Auburn University

Rob Hainer // Shutterstock

Located in Auburn, Alabama
-Total applicants in the 2022-23 school year: 45,693
— 126.1% more than in 2019
— 161.7% change from 2012
– Students admitted in the 2022-23 school year: 19,988
— 22.6% change from 2019
— 48.2% change from 2012



Canva

#23. Bethany College

Canva

Located in Bethany, West Virginia
-Total applicants in the 2022-23 school year: 2,651
— 130.5% more than in 2019
— 74.1% change from 2012
– Students admitted in the 2022-23 school year: 1,721
— 57.0% change from 2019
— 162.7% change from 2012



Education Images/Universal Images Group // Getty Images

#22. Lewis-Clark State College

Education Images/Universal Images Group // Getty Images

Located in Lewiston, Idaho
-Total applicants in the 2022-23 school year: 3,938
— 134.0% more than in 2019
— 291.1% change from 2012
– Students admitted in the 2022-23 school year: 3,417
— 103.5% change from 2019
— 242.4% change from 2012



Canva

#21. Ave Maria University

Canva

Located in Ave Maria, Florida
-Total applicants in the 2022-23 school year: 3,404
— 135.4% more than in 2019
— 174.1% change from 2012
– Students admitted in the 2022-23 school year: 1,505
— 22.7% change from 2019
— 85.8% change from 2012



Canva

#20. Chicago State University

Canva

Located in Chicago
-Total applicants in the 2022-23 school year: 7,404
— 136.9% more than in 2019
— 88.0% change from 2012
– Students admitted in the 2022-23 school year: 3,592
— 81.4% change from 2019
— 141.6% change from 2012



KennStilger47 // Shutterstock

#19. Fisk University

KennStilger47 // Shutterstock

Located in Nashville, Tennessee
-Total applicants in the 2022-23 school year: 7,268
— 139.6% more than in 2019
— 163.5% change from 2012
– Students admitted in the 2022-23 school year: 5,158
— 82.0% change from 2019
— 1,678.6% change from 2012



PiXel Perfect PiX // Shutterstock

#18. Clarke University

PiXel Perfect PiX // Shutterstock

Located in Dubuque, Iowa
-Total applicants in the 2022-23 school year: 2,665
— 148.1% more than in 2019
— 157.7% change from 2012
– Students admitted in the 2022-23 school year: 2,260
— 124.2% change from 2019
— 196.2% change from 2012



Canva

#17. Converse University

Canva

Located in Spartanburg, South Carolina
-Total applicants in the 2022-23 school year: 2,917
— 150.8% more than in 2019
— 110.9% change from 2012
– Students admitted in the 2022-23 school year: 1,621
— 56.0% change from 2019
— 128.3% change from 2012



Erik S. Lesser // Getty Images

#16. Morehouse College

Erik S. Lesser // Getty Images

Located in Atlanta
-Total applicants in the 2022-23 school year: 5,221
— 157.2% more than in 2019
— 102.8% change from 2012
– Students admitted in the 2022-23 school year: 3,133
— 54.6% change from 2019
— 83.1% change from 2012



Canva

#15. South Carolina State University

Canva

Located in Orangeburg, South Carolina
-Total applicants in the 2022-23 school year: 6,833
— 159.7% more than in 2019
— 124.8% change from 2012
– Students admitted in the 2022-23 school year: 5,733
— 228.0% change from 2019
— 94.2% change from 2012



CrispyPork // Shutterstock

#14. Westminster College

CrispyPork // Shutterstock

Located in Fulton, Missouri
-Total applicants in the 2022-23 school year: 2,051
— 160.3% more than in 2019
— 44.4% change from 2012
– Students admitted in the 2022-23 school year: 1,544
— 103.4% change from 2019
— 51.2% change from 2012



Sean Rayford // Getty Images

#13. Edward Waters University

Sean Rayford // Getty Images

Located in Jacksonville, Florida
-Total applicants in the 2022-23 school year: 8,988
— 161.0% more than in 2019
— 363.8% change from 2012
– Students admitted in the 2022-23 school year: 7,509
— 256.7% change from 2019
— 1,240.9% change from 2012



Philip Lange // Shutterstock

#12. Dallas Baptist University

Philip Lange // Shutterstock

Located in Dallas
-Total applicants in the 2022-23 school year: 8,519
— 162.9% more than in 2019
— 216.5% change from 2012
– Students admitted in the 2022-23 school year: 7,784
— 167.3% change from 2019
— 600.6% change from 2012



Matej Kastelic // Shutterstock

#11. La Roche University

Matej Kastelic // Shutterstock

Located in Pittsburgh
-Total applicants in the 2022-23 school year: 3,222
— 164.1% more than in 2019
— 103.0% change from 2012
– Students admitted in the 2022-23 school year: 3,137
— 158.6% change from 2019
— 280.2% change from 2012



Matej Kastelic // Shutterstock

#10. Columbia College

Matej Kastelic // Shutterstock

Located in Columbia, South Carolina
-Total applicants in the 2022-23 school year: 2,176
— 166.3% more than in 2019
— 181.9% change from 2012
– Students admitted in the 2022-23 school year: 2,135
— 170.6% change from 2019
— 327.9% change from 2012



Theodore Trimmer // Shutterstock

#9. Hawai’i Pacific University

Theodore Trimmer // Shutterstock

Located in Honolulu
-Total applicants in the 2022-23 school year: 13,354
— 179.0% more than in 2019
— 223.4% change from 2012
– Students admitted in the 2022-23 school year: 11,631
— 224.7% change from 2019
— 290.3% change from 2012



Canva

#8. Regent University

Canva

Located in Virginia Beach, Virginia
-Total applicants in the 2022-23 school year: 6,989
— 198.2% more than in 2019
— 362.8% change from 2012
– Students admitted in the 2022-23 school year: 2,260
— 12.7% change from 2019
— 82.0% change from 2012



Canva

#7. Bethany College

Canva

Located in Lindsborg, Kansas
-Total applicants in the 2022-23 school year: 3,521
— 202.8% more than in 2019
— 420.9% change from 2012
– Students admitted in the 2022-23 school year: 2,325
— 195.4% change from 2019
— 491.6% change from 2012



Canva

#6. Paul Quinn College

Canva

Located in Dallas
-Total applicants in the 2022-23 school year: 2,048
— 207.0% more than in 2019
— 857.0% change from 2012
– Students admitted in the 2022-23 school year: 1,173
— 122.2% change from 2019
— 541.0% change from 2012



Kurtis Toliver // Shutterstock

#5. Grambling State University

Kurtis Toliver // Shutterstock

Located in Grambling, Louisiana
-Total applicants in the 2022-23 school year: 10,732
— 245.2% more than in 2019
— 108.2% change from 2012
– Students admitted in the 2022-23 school year: 4,547
— 50.4% change from 2019
— 109.5% change from 2012



Tada Images // Shutterstock

#4. Oregon Institute of Technology

Tada Images // Shutterstock

Located in Klamath Falls, Oregon
-Total applicants in the 2022-23 school year: 4,570
— 278.9% more than in 2019
— 364.4% change from 2012
– Students admitted in the 2022-23 school year: 4,231
— 261.3% change from 2019
— 570.5% change from 2012



Canva

#3. Palm Beach Atlantic University

Canva

Located in West Palm Beach, Florida
-Total applicants in the 2022-23 school year: 6,220
— 305.5% more than in 2019
— 350.4% change from 2012
– Students admitted in the 2022-23 school year: 5,888
— 302.2% change from 2019
— 345.0% change from 2012



Canva

#2. Unity College

Canva

Located in New Gloucester, Maine
-Total applicants in the 2022-23 school year: 6,312
— 542.1% more than in 2019
— 1,470.1% change from 2012
– Students admitted in the 2022-23 school year: 5,953
— 516.3% change from 2019
— 1,586.4% change from 2012



Ground Picture // Shutterstock

#1. Stanbridge University

Ground Picture // Shutterstock

Located in Irvine, California
-Total applicants in the 2022-23 school year: 2,500
— 1,090.5% more than in 2019
— 733.3% change from 2012
– Students admitted in the 2022-23 school year: 253
— 90.2% change from 2019
— -1.9% change from 2012

Story editing by Nicole Caldwell. Copy editing by Paris Close. Photo selection by Lacy Kerrick.

This story originally appeared on Numerade and was produced and
distributed in partnership with Stacker Studio.


Article Topic Follows: Stacker-Money

Jump to comments ↓

Stacker

BE PART OF THE CONVERSATION

KIFI Local News 8 is committed to providing a forum for civil and constructive conversation.

Please keep your comments respectful and relevant. You can review our Community Guidelines by clicking here

If you would like to share a story idea, please submit it here.

Skip to content