Common App Finds More First-Gen, Underrepresented Minority Applicants

Adrienne Amador Oddi, vice president of strategic enrollment and communications at Queens University of CharlotteAs many college application deadlines have passed this year, a new report from Common App has revealed first-year application trends through February 15, 2022 among member institutions. The report noted a 13.9% increase in first-year applicants in 2021-22 versus 2019-20. Also in the same time period, there were 17% more applicants who identify as underrepresented minorities and 21% more first-generation applicants.

Dr. Preston Magouirk, a data scientist at Common App and one of the report’s authors, stressed the importance of these shifts about two years into the pandemic. With more than 900 member institutions, the Common App is a nonprofit organization working with colleges and universities across the U.S. and in 20 countries to streamline the college application process.

“We saw early on last year that there were declines in application activity in first-generation and underrepresented minority applicants,” said Magouirk. “We hypothesized that this was likely closely related to the many difficulties associated with the pandemic. This season, we were hoping to  see a reversal of those trends. So, it has been very heartening to see the upward trend in applicants, particularly for first-generation applicants.”

Magouirk added that the rate of increase in first-generation applicants is almost double that of continuing generation applicants between 2019-20 and 2021-22. 

“For me, seeing increases in the number of individuals applying, not just in application volume, is a good sign,” said Adrienne Amador Oddi, vice president of strategic enrollment and communications at Queens University of Charlotte. “That’s encouraging.”

However, the report also found that about 56% of domestic applicants at this point in the season resided in the most affluent quintile, or top 20%, of ZIP codes nationwide. Yet there were only 6% of applicants from the bottom quintile. Magouirk noted these trends have been consistent with previous years.

“We’ve got a lot of work to do,” said Oddi. “We should be encouraged by the steps we’re making but also not complacent. There isn’t an ‘enough’ or finish-line in this work. As I’m processing Common App’s findings, this information means that I have to be even more vigilant in, for example, connecting with students who don’t have access to college counselors. To be really intentional on our team.”