Tulane sees record applications as students worldwide apply to university

The good news just keeps coming from Tulane’s Office of Undergraduate Admission as applications from some of the country’s most academically accomplished and diverse students continue to arrive at a record pace.

Satyajit Dattagupta, vice president of enrollment management and dean of undergraduate admission, attributes the increased interest to Tulane’s growing reputation for academic excellence and the opportunities it gives students to engage in cutting-edge research, hands-on learning and transformative community service. He also notes the school’s single point of entry through Newcomb-Tulane College (which gives students more flexibility in choosing a major) and the track record of career and life success reported by Tulane graduates.

Applications to Tulane have increased more than 65 percent over the past five years, with 41,365 applications arriving this year. The university's selectivity rate, the number of students who apply versus the number of students who are accepted, also improved to just over 13 percent – matching or surpassing some of the nation’s top schools.

Applicants to Tulane come from coast to coast, with the most applications this year arriving from California, New York and Texas. One-third of the new class identifies as people of color, or are international students.

Tulane matches many students’ needs, Tulane President Mike Fitts said, and that, combined with the cultural richness of New Orleans, offers “a complete experience for the four years here; for the right kind of student, that really cannot be had anywhere else.”

Early decision applications, which represent students who consider Tulane their first-choice school, also increased by 56 percent over 2017. 

Proof that the university delivers on promises made during the recruiting season can be found in the most recent Princeton Review survey, in which Tulane ranked highly in multiple categories.

Last year, students responding to Princeton Review’s survey listed Tulane in first place for “Best College City,” second for students “Most Engaged in Community Service,” fourth in both the “Happiest Students” category and in the “Their Students Love These Colleges” list, fifth for “Best Quality of Life,” and eighth for “Best-Run Colleges.” In Princeton Review’s just released publication, The Best Value Colleges: 200 Schools with Exceptional ROI for Your Tuition Investment, Tulane is ranked 13th in the “Impact Schools” category, which measures the opportunities universities provide for community service, student government involvement, sustainability efforts and on-campus engagement.

“Our current students offer the greatest proof of whether or not we’re succeeding,” Dattagupta said.