College applications continue to rise nationwide in the 2024-2025 admissions cycle. As of Dec. 1, the number of students applying to college was up 5% over last year, according to a Research Brief from the widely used Common App, with roughly half of applicants choosing to submit their test scores. Interest in public universities continues to outpace private colleges, with public schools thus far seeing an 11% increase in applications over last year, compared with a 5% increase for private institutions.
How did these trends play out in Arlington last spring? The application data below was self-reported by students from H-B Woodlawn Secondary Program, Wakefield High School, Washington-Liberty High School and Yorktown High School, as well as the Arlington Career Center (ACC), whose full-time programs include Arlington Tech, the Academic Academy, the Program for Employment Preparedness (PEP) and the English Language Institute. The full data appears in our annual College Bound admissions chart, which ran in the Sept./Oct. 2024 issue of Arlington Magazine. Data for Northern Virginia Community College was unavailable. The tuition and enrollment numbers below were drawn from U.S. News and World Report’s annual Best Colleges rankings. Note: Given that the acceptance data below was self-reported by APS students, school officials stress that they cannot verify its accuracy.
20. New York University
New York, NY
APS Students Applied: 101
APS Students Accepted: 10
Tuition & Fees: $62,796
Undergrad Enrollment: 29,760
19. The George Washington University
Washington, DC
APS Students Applied: 114
APS Students Accepted: 32
Tuition & Fees: $67,710
Undergrad Enrollment: 11,387
18. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC
APS Students Applied: 118
APS Students Accepted: 13
Tuition & Fees (out-of-state): $41,211
Undergrad Enrollment: 20,880
17. Christopher Newport University
Newport News, VA
APS Students Applied: 127
APS Students Accepted: 80
Tuition & Fees (in-state): $16,828
Undergrad Enrollment: 4,407
16. University of Maryland
College Park, MD
APS Students Applied: 128
APS Students Accepted: 36
Tuition & Fees (out-of-state): $41,186
Undergrad Enrollment: 30,608
15. University of Mary Washington
Fredericksburg, VA
APS Students Applied: 130
APS Students Accepted: 89
Tuition & Fees (in-state): $14,640
Undergrad Enrollment: 3,611
14. University of South Carolina
Columbia, SC
APS Students Applied: 132
APS Students Accepted: 74
Tuition & Fees (out-of-state): $35,972
Undergrad Enrollment: 28,470
13. Marymount University
Arlington, VA
APS Students Applied: 132
APS Students Accepted: 71
Tuition & Fees: $40,120
Undergrad Enrollment: 2,216
12. Clemson University
Clemson, SC
APS Students Applied: 133
APS Students Accepted: 58
Tuition & Fees (out-of-state): $39,498
Undergrad Enrollment: 22,875
11. University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, MI
APS Students Applied: 146
APS Students Accepted: 16
Tuition & Fees (out-of-state): $63,081
Undergrad Enrollment: 33,730
10. Northeastern University
Boston, MA
APS Students Applied: 151
APS Students Accepted: 32
Tuition & Fees: $66,162
Undergrad Enrollment: 15,891
9. Old Dominion University
Norfolk, VA
APS Students Applied: 201
APS Students Accepted: 120
Tuition & Fees (in-state): $12,750
Undergrad Enrollment: 17,736
8. University of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, PA
APS Students Applied: 265
APS Students Accepted: 188
Tuition & Fees (out-of-state): $41,430
Undergrad Enrollment: 20,220
7. Pennsylvania State University
University Park, PA
APS Students Applied: 275
APS Students Accepted: 184
Tuition & Fees (out-of-state): $41,790
Undergrad Enrollment: 42,223
6. William & Mary
Williamsburg, VA
APS Students Applied: 320
APS Students Accepted: 96
Tuition & Fees (in-state): $26,019
Undergrad Enrollment: 6,963
5. Virginia Commonwealth University
Richmond, VA
APS Students Applied: 420
APS Students Accepted: 282
Tuition & Fees (in-state): $16,720
Undergrad Enrollment: 21,205
4. George Mason University
Fairfax, VA
APS Students Applied: 484
APS Students Accepted: 291
Tuition & Fees (in-state): $14,220
Undergrad Enrollment: 27,666
3. University of Virginia
Charlottesville, VA
APS Students Applied: 607
APS Students Accepted: 154
Tuition & Fees (in-state): $23,11
Undergrad Enrollment: 17,618
2. Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, VA
APS Students Applied: 626
APS Students Accepted: 273
Tuition & Fees (in-state): $15,948
Undergrad Enrollment: 30,504
1. James Madison University
Harrisonburg, VA
APS Students Applied: 650
APS Students Accepted: 362
Tuition & Fees (in-state): $13,918
Undergrad Enrollment: 21,008