Well we are OOS and acceptances at our school are way down as well. It was running about 33% in previous years and is at 17% this year. S feels very fortunate to have gotten in!
The simple explanation for the dropped acceptance rates is increased applicants, not so much underestimated yield or increased acceptance of OOS. All tne data is on the website Last year’s yield of about 35% is within historic norms but they had historically high applications. I think they saw an unexpectedly low yield in 2016, only 33%, fewer that 6000 enrolles, so they did not reduce acceptance last year as much as they otherwise would in response to the jump of applicants they saw (25000 in 2016, up from 22200 in 2015). Had they based acceptnace rates last year on applicant growth with a goal of 6200 enrollees, they would have dropped acceptance down to around 65% rather than keep it at 70. When enrollee rates went back up to historic norm of 35%, they got caught with 600 more students than they wanted. Itnactually could have been worse if yield had gone up to closer to 38%, where it often has been in previous years. So, clearly, this year they are relying on the data to inform decisons more so than they did last year and another jump in applicants requires dropping acceptance rates. Their goal is 6200, they got 32000 applicants, their historic enrollee rate is around 35-38% on average, so they can admit around 18000. That means 56% rate.
Homie packet arrived in the mail today! Washington state so they have made it across the US!
Just wanted to jump in to propose a theory that NOVA kids might be at more of a “geographical disadvantage” because of the competitiveness of that area. I’m from a school in Southeastern VA and with around 50 kids from our school applying (20 ED, 30-ish RD), one was waitlisted and one was rejected. Everyone else got in, and this is from a pretty competitive high school, which leads me to believe that our applicants might have been looked upon more favorably because of our location in the state, as unfair as that may seem.
@RoonilWazlib99 wow, I didn’t know turkeys could fly that fast.
So, what do we attribute the increase up to 32000…OOS or instate? I just think Virginia residents historically apply to Tech, because it is the thing to do… and has been so for awhile. Are instate apps up dramatically? Is that where the increase is? The key acceptance rate I am interested in is the instate one. I can even carve out Engineering and just look at everything else…are all of a sudden instate kids all about VA Tech…this is somehow a new thing? I could be off the mark…maybe Hokie fever just spread wide in the Old Dominion.
Daughter accepted OOS (WA). 3.7 UW/3.98 W GPA, 1380 SAT. Industrial engineering. So happy
My friend withdrew her application from Tech in January after she heard back from her dream school. However, she still got an acceptance letter and email saying that she got into Tech. Maybe there was a glitch in the system this year for those who withdrew their application after January?
@galmighty I don’t know. I haven’t seen any data on applicant and admitted pools with OOS broken out. Just enrollee numbers. FWIW, over the years of siginifcant growth, OOS enrollees made up 31%, 32.5%, 26.7%, and 35% of the enrolled population. Most of the colleges have fairly consistent OOS numbers somewhere between 30 and 35% each year, but Engineering fluctuates from one year to tne next. Seems like they alternate with every other year having more OOS than in state. For tne period 2014-2017, engineering OOS engineering students made up 47%, 51%,44%, and 54.6% of the COE population. So there was a bit of a jump,last year but it seems an OOS COE poulation of more than 50% is not out of the ordinary. . While there was a slight uptick last year, it followed a year when OOS numbers for the University and COE were unusually low (26% and 44% respectively) so last years uptic may have been in compensation for drop the previous year. I just dont see anything in the data to suggest there has been a change in University policy regarding OOS acceptance. But it would be interesting to know whether the OOS applican pool iaccounts for a disproportionate amount of growth. That said, if enrollee rates remain about wher they have been, it would mean it has gotten harder for OOS to get in not easier.
Hahahaha!! HOKIE packet, not homie packet!!! 
I came across a couple of interesting articles from this time last year about applicant growth. Curious that until last year’s bump in enrollment, Tech wasn’t seeing growth in enrollment to correspond to applicant growth. That expains why they didn’t cut admit rate in 2017 despite the big jump in applicants. But, since last year was an anomolly as compared to previous years, it certaiinly leaves open the possibility that this year’s enroll rate will be lower and leave open spots for waitlisted kids.
VA Tech admits at my son’s NoVA public high school tend to be pretty close to the school’s overall acceptance rate (133/200 accepted in 2017 - 66.5%). It will be interesting to see if it falls below 60% this year.
I have a 2019 kid who is likely to apply next year - I’m thinking he’ll be iffy with a 3.9x WGPA, 34 ACT/1480. He probably needs more like a 4.1 to get in from his HS.
@eh1234 similar numbers at my Ds NOVA school according to Naviance. Last year 65% (96/146), year before 71% (90/126). Both years there was a 38% enroll rate. The 2018 numbers have started to compile, but since students self report acceptance/rejection, its too early to know what tne outcome will be. Right now 16 of 154 applicants this year have reported acceptance. That number will grow as kids get around to reporting, so it will be interseting to see by how much.
As for your kid’s numbers. They look competitive to me, more so if applying to something other than COE. My nonCOE daughter got in with 3.98 WGPA (not counting this years grades) and 32ACT. Pay attention to essays. They are not optional even though the application says they are.
At my son’s public school in VA (not NoVa) acceptance rate averages 52% and enrolls average 27%. There was a 20% spike in applications from 2016 to 2017. 2018 applications almost identical to 2017.
Tech applications at our school went up again this year from 146 to 154. By comparison, applications to JMU and UVA have been stable and apps to VCU have declined markedly.
As for acceptance rates, I don’t fully trust naviance numbers. While the application numbers are accurate, because kids self report whether they got in, it is impossible to know how many of the applicants actually record their acceptance.
Accepted - CoE
In-State
4.3 W 3.8 UW
1480 SAT (780 Math 700 RW)
760 Math II, 720 Chemistry
2 Essays
At S’s school, VT, UVA, and JMU apps. all spiked approx. same % up in 2017 from 2016. This year those 3 have also settled back down to very close to 2016 stats. VCU apps. down 20% from 2016 to 2018.
Agree on the acceptance rate accuracy since kids self report.
Got our packet today!!
So my DD has yet to receive a packet and we live in MD… Shes starting to get worried… The portal says she’s in, she just wants it in writing!
@lolodavis I’m in the same situation, getting super anxious because another girl in my town already got hers two days ago…