Once again the University of Delaware breaks a record for applications received.
"This year we had over 37,000 applications which was a 6% increase over last year, and I think that that was a 7% increase over the year before that," said Enrollment Management Vice President Rodney Morrison.
UD applications are so high that the university has broken records for five years in a row – impressive because that includes the pandemic years where many universities saw a decrease.
A big factor in that growth is not just open houses and traveling to college fairs to recruit students, but attracting international students.
Applications were received from over 130 countries, and applications from prospective international students were up 30% this year.
UD and Delaware State University have made a concerted effort to attract international students thanks to the $1.6 million grant from the state.
Morrison says recruiting international students includes overseas in-person recruiting.
"We for the first time in India did what we call a pre-departure orientation program. That's where the students whether they were undergrad or graduate students who were planning to come to the university or still kind of maybe deciding,” said Morrison. “We did the orientation programs in a couple of different cities in India where they could really get all the questions answered face-to-face versus virtual which most of them have to do throughout the whole process."
The grant has also allowed UD to bring in 100 international high school guidance counselors in the last year, taking them on tours of the campus as well as trips to the beaches and shopping to give them a taste of what the state is all about.
