What we are learning so far from 2022

First and foremost, I am so proud of this Class of 2022. This group of students has persevered, shown grit and tenacity working through challenges, and made leaps and bounds towards adulting. Over $16 million in grants and scholarships (still counting) and acceptances to 204 schools. Well done!

High-quality admissions data is critical to the success of any data-driven college planning process. While we cannot predict the future, we can use historical data to put events in context. At CPC, we've partnered with College Kickstart to stay on top of the latest admissions data to help students and parents navigate the process through information vs. emotion.

Recently, the team at College Kickstart invited us to join a partner roundtable, where they shared their first look at Class of 2026 results and implications for the upcoming application cycle. While the data is preliminary, we wanted to share some of the important insights we took away from the session.

• Students continue to apply to more schools - about 9% more overall, with some schools seeing a much larger increase than average. Why is this happening?

• Students are hedging their bets.

• Test optional expands access.

• Some are just swinging for the fences.

• Application growth this year is strongest in the category of selective schools that accept 25% to 50% of students. What schools are seeing the most growth? Some examples are the schools listed below.

• Villanova University - acceptance rate changed from 31% to 23%

• Case Western University - acceptance rate changed from 30% to 25%