The number of incoming freshman applications declined slightly this year compared to last year, when applications decreased by about 5 percent.
As of March 3, OU had received 12,787 freshman applications — about 70 less than last year at the same time, said Katie Quaranta, a media spokeswoman.
OU was unable to provide exact numbers for comparison because of its new software program, Quaranta said.
“We feel comfortable with where the number is now, but we’re always looking for strong, quality applicants,” said Candace Boeninger, interim director of Undergraduate Admissions. Boeninger added that she expects to see “slight growth” in the freshman class size during the next few years.
OU also has received 566 transfer applications, which is also down by about 70 applicants from last year.
“We’re in good shape in terms of where we want to be at this time,” said Executive Vice President and Provost Pam Benoit.
In an attempt to increase recruitment to OU, the Office of Undergraduate Admissions started “prospective family nights” where an admissions employee helps a student and his or her family with the application process at various locations around the state.
The priority deadline for admission is Feb. 1 each year, but OU has rolling admission.
The application numbers fluctuate every day, and the priority deadline is only intended for students who are “anxious for an answer,” Boeninger said.
As of Feb. 8 last year, 12,382 freshman applications had been submitted, compared to 13,075 applications at the same time in 2009, according to a previous Post article.
A better indication of the final size of next year’s freshman class will come May 1, which is the last day for housing deposit refunds, Boeninger said.
“There’s a little science, but it’s a lot of art in shaping the freshman class,” she said.
The Office of Undergraduate Admissions looks at grades and the difficulty of an individual’s high school classes when deciding whether to admit an applicant, but OU has no set numbers or formula.
She added that OU tries to accommodate those who are not admitted to the Athens campus by making it easy to transfer credits and by keeping regional campuses on an open admission basis.
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