The University released admissions decisions for the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy and the McIntire School of Commerce over the past week. Batten released its decisions Feb. 23 and offered admission to 69 percent of applicants, an 11 percent decrease compared to the previous year. The McIntire School of Commerce also released decisions for its B.S. in Commerce program Monday, however the exact data on the number of applicants admitted will not be available until transfer applications are processed later in the semester, according to Deputy University Spokesperson Bethanie Glover.
Batten saw a 9.6 percent increase in applicants this year, receiving 197 applications compared to last year’s 179 applications. McIntire received a record-high 721 applications for admission this year, marking a roughly 4.4 percent increase from last year’s 690 applicants. While the University hasn’t shared the specific number of students admitted to McIntire this year, Pierce Coughter — McIntire's director of undergraduate admissions — said that the school “extended offers to fill a significant portion of the 400 total available seats for the fall class” in an email to The Cavalier Daily.
The University also has not shared any demographic information about the students admitted to Batten or McIntire this year.
Batten and McIntire offer specialized programs that undergraduate students apply into during their second year at the University before beginning enrollment in their third year. Next year marks the final year in which McIntire will have students apply during their second year, as the school announced in August that it would switch to a three-year program, meaning prospective students would apply for enrollment during their first year and matriculate in their second. This change will go into effect fall 2024.
Batten’s undergraduate program allows students to earn a bachelor’s degree in Public Policy and Leadership, with a focus on public policy decision making. The school also offers a minor in Public Policy and Leadership and Social Entrepreneurship.
Anne Carter Mulligan, director of undergraduate admissions at Batten, said in an email statement to The Cavalier Daily that the school has been steadily growing since its founding in 2008.
“The incoming class of 2026 represents an extraordinarily rich and diverse set of backgrounds, skills, experiences, policy interests and perspectives,” Carter Mulligan said. “We’re excited to welcome them into the Batten community.”
McIntire offers a two-year program preparing students for careers in business with many different concentrations, such as accounting, finance and information technology, allowing students to focus on a specific area of study. Students can also choose up to two additional tracks of study, which include Business Analytics, Entrepreneurship, Global Commerce, Quantitative Finance, Strategic Brand Consulting and Communications and Real Estate.
Coughter said that the McIntire Undergraduate Admissions Committee was also thrilled by the number of qualified applicants this year.
“This incoming class is composed of vibrant and engaged students who took full course loads in a challenging liberal arts curriculum,” Coughter said in an email statement to the Cavalier Daily. “The Committee was excited by the many applicants who displayed academic excellence, initiative, an ability to collaborate, resilience and perseverance … and we are thrilled to see the diversity of experiences, backgrounds and skills they will bring to McIntire in the fall.”
The School of Commerce has also built a small waitlist, and both schools will fill remaining spots via the external transfer pool later in the semester.