<p>U.Va. extends admission to Class of 2011
University sees 10.5 percent increase in applicants; extends offers of admission to 2,530 in-state applicants, 2,565 out-of-state applicants</p>
<p>Courtney Kessler, Cavalier Daily Senior Associate Editor
Last Friday more than 92 percent of the University's 18,068 applicants clicked a button online to see if they were offered a spot in the University's class of 2011 -- 5,095 were greeted by the coveted message of "Congratulations."</p>
<p>With a 10.5 percent increase in applicants over last year, the University saw the largest applicant pool in its history this year, Dean of Admissions John Blackburn said.</p>
<p>He said it is difficult to know the true reasons behind the increase, but it is possible that the press the University received in past months concerning the abolishment of its early decision policy could be a factor in the influx.</p>
<p>"We were in a lot of newspapers about this [decision], which increased visibility," Blackburn said.</p>
<p>He added that he saw interest in this decision from European and Asian newspapers, which could be a factor in the 23 percent increase of international applicants.</p>
<p>Other notable trends were increases in the number of minority applicants. Black applicants increased by 13 percent, Asian-Americans increased by 20 percent and Hispanic and Latino applicants increased by 16 percent, according to Blackburn.</p>
<p>In addition to accelerated coverage in the press, Blackburn said the applicant increase could be attributed to the University's ability to better reach low-income students with its AccessUVa financial aid plan and the elimination of the early decision policy.</p>
<p>Though the decision to drop the policy does not go into effect until next fall, it was an important signal to low-income families, since low-income students do not tend to apply early, Blackburn added.</p>
<p>Blackburn said the University is looking to increase the size of the incoming class of 2011 by 70 students to 3,170 for this coming fall. Offers of admission were sent to 2,530 in-state applicants and 2,565 out-of-state applicants.</p>
<p>The Engineering School offered admission to 946 of these applicants and continues its attempt to increase the size of the program, according to Engineering Undergraduate Dean Paxton Marshall.</p>
<p>Engineering School administrators hope to retain about 565 of those applicants, which is aiming low, Blackburn said.</p>
<p>"It looked like a very strong applicant pool," Marshall said. "The more applicants you have, the more selective you'll be and the higher quality [of students] you'll get."</p>
<p>Blackburn said admission to the Nursing School was very competitive this year. Fifty-seven applicants were offered admission, and the goal is to retain 100 percent of those accepted.</p>
<p>The University offered admission into the College to 3,977 applicants, improving its selectivity rating from 37 percent to 34 percent, Blackburn said.</p>
<p>The Architecture School offered admission to 115 students and looks to retain 81 of those students, Blackburn said.</p>
<p>He said choosing among applicants was very difficult this year because of the dramatic increase in applicants.</p>
<p>"We were trying to do it on the same timetable that we have always followed with the same staff," Blackburn said. "There was a lot of midnight oil being burned by these admissions officers ... We all agreed we wouldn't take any short cuts. We'd give every student the same type of evaluation as the first ones."</p>
<p>Blackburn also explained the process of determining which students receive offers of admission, which happens in two phases.</p>
<p>First, applications are classified by school and read by admissions officers and then an evaluation is written, Blackburn said. In January and February, applications are placed into groups of those who are well qualified and those who should be denied admission. The remaining applications that fall between those two categories are then closely examined.</p>
<p>"We take the big middle group and look at them in teams," Blackburn said.</p>
<p>Each school must maintain a 67 percent in-state and 33 percent out-of-state ratio. After the middle group is narrowed down, the names go to either Blackburn or one of the two associate deans to make the final decision, keeping this ratio in mind, Blackburn said. This decision concludes the first phase of the selection process.</p>
<p>Small teams of admissions officers then review each application in a particular group; for example, according to Blackburn one group may consist only of in-state College students.</p>
<p>"Then they bring [the applications] to me, and I go over it with them to make sure they are being fair," he said.</p>
<p>Following this, applications are grouped by high school to make sure the decisions are consistent. Blackburn noted that it is critical that the student takes the most rigorous course that is load as available.</p>
<p>After confirming that each application received careful consideration, a final decision is made.</p>
<p>While over 5,000 students were accepted, 4,000 students currently await a verdict on the University's waiting list, he said.</p>
<p>"We've aimed low, so we're hoping we make some offers from the wait list early- to mid-May rather than mid-June," Blackburn said.</p>
<p>Students have until May 1 to respond to the University with their decisions.</p>