With the passing of January deadlines, colleges and universities are reporting record numbers of freshman hopefuls.
This year, the ten University of California campuses all attracted large volumes of applicants, with UCLA topping the list with a record 61,498 applications. Among private schools, Columbia University saw a massive 32 percent increase in applicants from last year, for a total of 34,587 applications.
Other Ivy League institutions saw more modest gains. Princeton and Brown each reported a 3 percent increase, and Yale saw a 5 percent gain. Applications to the University of Pennsylvania and Dartmouth College increased by 17 percent and 16 percent, respectively, and applications to Harvard University rose by 15 percent.
According to the Washington Post, the increases are likely a result of each candidate applying to more institutions rather than a significant growth in the applicant pool. And some universities attribute the boost to changes in their application process and other policies -- Columbia cited their switch to the common app as a contributing factor to the rise in applications, while Penn Dean of Admissions Eric Furda told the Daily Pennsylvanian that the university's increased efforts to inform students of financial aid options may have helped boost their rates.
Below, check out how many class of 2015 hopefuls top-tier institutions roped in, and how each school fared in comparison to last year.
Are you surprised by these numbers? Let us know in the comments section.