Think Big

Applications to Mason Surge

Mason’s Admissions Office receives, on a yearly basis, far more qualified applications than can be accommodated, and that difference was even more pronounced this year. Freshman applications for fall 2007 were up more than 23 percent overall, and applications from outside Virginia increased by more than 47 percent. Mason also saw a large increase in the number of accepted students who agreed to attend.

In addition, the size of campus tours has doubled and even tripled since April 2006, according to Andrew Flagel, dean of admissions. There has also been a marked increase in phone calls, e-mails, and general inquiries.

“This is a great problem to have,” says Flagel. “There’s no doubt that being in the Final Four really accelerated our trajectory, doubling our anticipated annual increase in applications, clearly establishing Mason as among the most competitive institutions in the United States.”