BU admission rate drops 10 percent

This spring, Boston University accepted 47.69 percent of applicants, a 10 percent decrease in admissions from last year, according to BU officials.

Three thousand more students applied to BU last year, which was the highest in university history, according to The Daily Free Press archives.

“[This decrease] reflects the ever-increasing competition for admission to BU,” said BU spokesman Colin Riley. “More students are applying to a greater number of schools to give themselves more options.”

Jacques Steinberg, an education blogger for The New York Times, said in an email interview that while acceptance rates have decreased in 91 out of 107 major United States colleges, high school seniors should not worry too much about the numbers.

“I think you can say that this year has been the most competitive at a number of colleges, but I don’t think you can make the leap to say, ‘applying to college is more competitive than ever,” Steinberg wrote in an email. “There are about 2,000 four-year colleges in this country, and the overwhelming majority accept nearly all who apply.”

Steinberg said that colleges use mass-mailing campaigns to increase their number of applicants, which consequentially lowers a school’s admission rate, making it appear more selective.

Although BU has also expanded recruiting, Riley said the process is targeted and involves a “combination of multiple factors” that respond to an individual’s interest in the school.

“When people express interest, that’s what generates some of those recruiting materials,” he said.

Ananya Marathe, a senior from Beachwood, Ohio, said she is still deciding whether or not she wants to go to BU.

“I liked the city location of Boston and all the opportunities that accompanied studying here, like the internships and such,” she said in an email.

The ads, she said, didn’t influence her until she was admitted.

“I find myself drawn towards the ads more and the opinions from current students there,” she said. “I also like seeing the pictures of the campus and buildings more now.”

However, Marathe, who applied to six other schools aside from BU, said the size of the university and its lack of a “traditional college campus setting” are cons.

As a prospective student, incoming College of Communication freshman Hannah Johnson said she received mail from BU, and a representative came to her rural public high school.

Steinberg, a North Carolina resident, said he expects applicants and their parents to continue to focus disproportionately on highly selective colleges.

“But if these institutions cannot find a way to rein in tuition, the number of applicants could eventually recede,” he said. “Then again, where is the incentive for these institutions to hold the line on tuition, when so many kids are banging on the door to get in?”

Ultimately, a number of factors contribute to a person’s decisions to attend BU, Riley said.

Johnson said BU’s variety of majors, colleges and students helped her choose to go to BU.

“I decided on BU because it has everything I am looking for in a college experience,” Johnson said. “In my college search, it was very important to me to have a campus in a good location, a large student body and a diverse student body, and BU fits all of my criteria.”