By Matthew Kaufman and Isabella Darcy
Former Editor-in-Chief and Managing Editor
The College maintained application levels this admissions season, while the number of students putting down deposits is higher than last year, according to Lisa Angeloni, the College’s vice president for enrollment management.
As of April 22, the College has received 12,781 applications, which is 94 more than the number last year at this time, according to Angeloni. The College has accepted fewer students this year, with Angeloni saying she anticipates this year’s acceptance rate to be around 57%, down from last year’s 59%.
Despite the lower acceptance rate, Angeloni said the size of the incoming freshman class will be about the same as last year, around 1,600 students. This is because the College’s admissions yield, which refers to the number of accepted students who choose to come to the College, is up from last year, with 75 more students than last year at this time having already placed deposits to commit their attendance. The deadline to submit a deposit is May 1.
The data shows that, despite an uncertain economic climate and higher education environment, interest in the College remains strong, Angeloni said in an April 10 interview.
“Many schools are facing very tough demographic shifts downward,” Angeloni said.
Despite this downward shift in some institutions, the College is currently seeing similar trends over the past five years in terms of enrollment in academic schools. For instance, the School of Business is one of the largest on campus and continues to grow, according to Angeloni.
Last fall, the College was named No. 1 in the Regional Universities North category of the U.S. News & World Report's 2025 Best College Rankings. Angeloni said that she thinks this is part of why this enrollment season is being considered successful.
“I do think it helped us that we moved up to the number one school, both public and private,” Angeloni said.
Incoming students who spoke to The Signal shared that they were drawn to the College because of its academic reputation and its desirable location.
High school senior Aidan Walker from Voorhees Township, N.J., plans to attend the College starting this fall. He originally applied as a criminology major, but plans to switch to undeclared business.
Walker told The Signal that he chose the College because of its “really good rigorous academics,” the aesthetics of its campus and the opportunity for a “fresh start.”
Norah Karnwea, a high school senior from Galloway, N.J., who also plans to attend the College this fall, will enter as a public health major.
Karnwea told The Signal she chose the College because she liked that it is “really good in New Jersey for public health,” and because she “wasn't crazy about going out of state.” She also liked that she wouldn’t be “just another number” at a medium-sized school like the College.
“I'm just excited to see what [the College] has to offer,” Karnwea said.
