Getting In

From a record number of applicants, the Office of Admission has offered spots in the Class of 2015 to 7,750 students.

A total of 24,005 students applied, up from 22,512 last year. Officials anticipate that roughly 43 percent will choose to enroll and the anticipated entering class size is 3,360. The offer rate of 32 percent matched last year’s.

“This group of applicants was among the most talented we’ve seen,” says Greg Roberts, dean of admission. “Selecting a first-year class from so many terrific students is always a challenge, but we’re very excited about this group of high school seniors.”

About 95 percent of those offered admission rank in the top 10 percent of their graduating class, with a median SAT score of 2,070. The Class of 2015 will be 120 students larger than last year, a first step in plans to expand enrollment by 1,500 students over the next five years. Of those additional students, 84 will be Virginians. The increase is in response to Gov. Robert F. McDonnell’s call for state colleges and universities to award 100,000 additional degrees to Virginians by 2026.

On March 28, thousands of high school seniors logged on to a secure UVA website to learn their fate. For those 3,833 applicants who remain in limbo on the waiting list, there’s reason to remain upbeat. “For the last several years we’ve utilized the wait list,” says Roberts, “and have made some students very happy in May or June.”