The University extended offers of admission to 5,931 applicants in the early action admission cycle out of a pool of just over 36,000 completed applications. Decisions — released Friday afternoon — included 2,599 acceptances to Virginians and 3,331 to non-Virginias.
Last year’s early action cycle saw an early action acceptance rate of 20 percent from a pool of 31,143 applicants — the offer rate for out-of-state students was 16 percent and 30 percent for Virginia residents. This year, the offer rate was 12 percent for out-of-state students and 27 percent for Virginia students. The University commits to maintaining a two-thirds population of Virginians in the student body.
Early action applications were due Nov. 1 and involve a non-binding and unrestricted admission plan. This means that students are not required to attend the University after acceptance, unlike those enrolled through the early decision process.
The University received a record number of 55,845 applications across all admission plans for the Class of 2027, an increase from 50,813 applications the year before. 65 percent of applications came from the early action cycle, 27 percent from regular decision and eight percent during early decision.
Offers extended were five percent fewer than last year. 47 percent of those accepted identify as students of color, an increase from 45 percent in last year’s early action cycle. The percentage of Black students admitted saw a decrease by two percent, while the percentage of Hispanic students remained constant at nine percent. The percentage of foreign national students also held steady at six percent. 58 percent of offers were extended to female applicants.
Dean of Admissions Greg Roberts said that this year’s class so far represents dramatic increases in representation from rural areas of Virginia.
“We have worked extremely hard to connect with students and families in these areas of Virginia and have benefited greatly from our partnership with the Virginia College Advising Corps counselors who serve in many of the most under-resourced and under-funded schools in the state,” Roberts said in a statement to The Cavalier Daily.
According to Roberts, accepted applicants hail from 97 countries and all 50 U.S. states, plus Washington, D.C.
The highest number of offers went to the College, with 4,287 acceptances, and the School of Engineering, with 1,350 acceptances. The School of Architecture extended 144 offers, compared to 153 offers in the last early action cycle. The School of Nursing extended 83 offers — a decrease from 85 last year — and the Kinesiology program in the School of Education extended 66 offers.
Roberts said he feels confident in this year’s application process and eagerly anticipates the Class of 2027’s entrance onto Grounds.
Applicants were not required to submit test scores, following a policy first implemented during the 2020 admissions cycle, which has corresponded with increases in application numbers. The University originally planned to remain test optional until 2023 — it’s unconfirmed if the test-optional policy will remain in place after this year’s admissions cycle.
Regular decision offers will be released by April 1 — deferred students who opt to remain in the application pool will also receive decisions in this round.
CORRECTION: This article has been updated to clarify that, while the pool of applicants across all cycles was 55,845, the pool for the early action process was just over 36,000. Additionally, the percentage of early action offers given out decreased five percent overall. The percentage of Black students admitted decreased by two percent, not three percent as previously stated.