The University of Connecticut has received more than 36,000 applications from prospective first-year students seeking admission to its flagship Storrs campus, a record for the university amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
About 2,000 other students applying for spots in UConn’s Class of 2025 filed applications for admission at one of UConn’s four regional campuses at Avery Point, Hartford, Stamford and Waterbury. The prior record for first-year applications to the Storrs campus was just under 36,000 received in 2016, said Nathan Fuerst, UConn’s vice president for enrollment planning and management.
Fuerst partially attributed the jump in applications to a three-year pilot program UConn enacted in which standardized tests — including the SAT and ACT — are optional for undergraduate applicants.
“I think a lot of students who might otherwise have counted themselves out of the process are this year taking a look at UConn and realizing they do have a lot to offer,” Fuerst said.
Additionally, the applications received represent the most racial and ethnically diverse pool of prospective students, according to UConn. About 45% of UConn Storrs applicants identified as members of minority populations.
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