I wonder how much of a correlation there is between on-field success in college football and the number of applications received by a particular school? For example, the University of Alabama and Clemson University are now as competitive in admissions as they’ve ever been, and both of those schools are football powerhouses. Notre Dame is usually regarded as being a more selective school than those two when it comes to admissions, but given how big football is at ND, I suspect football success could lead to more applicants. Maybe I should have been rooting for ND to have a down year in football!?
I have nothing to support this, but my gut is that those who are interested in the football culture would already have had ND on their list, regardless of the 10-0 (Go Irish!) season thus far. I don’t think it will make a big difference.
While I do think that there are longer term trends at play, for example, Duke using its leading basketball program to increasingly attract students and raise its academic profile over the past 25 years, Notre Dame left the gate many decades ago. I can’t imagine whether they go undefeated and make the CFP or drop a game or two would make any difference on next year’s applications. So don’t worry about it! And cheer on the Irish!
I think there is a high correlation, especially at schools which are not known for academia. I think I read a study where BC enrollment went up significantly whenever then had a good season. Not sure about a school like ND though.
@ProfessorPlum168, I think that applies to schools like Villanova (great school too, by the way) when they have a great basketball season, for example, but I’d be surprised if it mattered at a school like ND which already has a big and successful football tradition. Just my opinion though.
I bet it helps the alumni donations though!
Don’t forget, last season, the ND women’s basketball team beat Goliath UConn in the semifinal and beat Mississippi St. on a last second shot to win the National Championship. And they’re ranked #1 this year. ND has a very strong women’s sports program too.
I agree with @suzy100, maybe some minor effect on the number of applications.
From the Four Horsemen to Knute Rockne to “Win one for the Gipper” to Ara Parseghian to Lou Holtz to Rudy, the movie, with the actor Sean Astin. ND has as many National Football Championships as Alabama, according to Wikipedia. ND’s great football tradition is older than anyone still alive.
Don’t underestimate the power of Division 1 athletics. Sports have had a HUGE impact on applications to Florida universities. Over the years, because of national championships and Top 10 rankings, both FSU and UF have seen applications grow to ridiculous numbers and are difficult universities to get an acceptance. Even with a terrible football team this year, FSU received over 45,000 EA applications. MY son applied to ND and will have a better chance as an OOS student there than his instate flagship colleges.
I went to a mid-sized school and after I graduated they shut down the football program. They brought it back a few years ago. I can tell you for myself, if they didn’t have football when I was there I would never have even considered them. I was an out of state student and wanted to have things to do on weekends and I’m a sports fan. Football was a big part of my life growing up having a father who was a coach. I would never have looked at a school that didn’t have a football program.
My D is a sports fan as well and I know the sports atmosphere was a factor in her deciding where to go. She goes to all the IU football games and Basketball games and has also gone to their men’s soccer and women’s volleyball matches. For a certain percentage of students, I’m sure the sports atmosphere is a big factor in where they applied and go to school, for others it probably didn’t factor in at all.
Notre Dame has such a storied program and history that I don’t think one or two loosing seasons would negatively impact them.
There have been plenty of studies on this topic as it relates to basketball, and you hear the stories every spring come March Madness. Quick google search found this… Two years ago, Forbes crunched Department of Education statistics and found that schools whose teams made the Final Four in the 2009 through 2013 tournaments received 12.9% more applicants the next year. Nationwide, applications grew by an average of just 4.2% during that period.