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Demonstrated Interest in College Admission

Demonstrated interest colleges, demonstrated interest meaning, demonstrated interest, demonstrated interest in college admission
Demonstrated interest and how demonstrated interest in college admission can impact your candidacy for selective admission.

How demonstrated interest can be used to strategically boost your candidacy for admission!



Colleges and universities collect thousands of applications for admission each year. As they read the transcripts, personal statements, and supplemental essays in each application, they are trying to understand the applicant better – who they are and why they should admit them. 


But some universities are seeking an answer to a slightly different question. 

Does this applicant really love our university? Do they really want to attend?

In some cases, they turn to demonstrated interest measures to try and understand an applicant’s general motivation toward choosing to enroll at their institution if they were admitted. 


But what exactly is demonstrated interest? Why do some (but not all) colleges and universities consider it? How can you utilize demonstrated interest to boost your college admission and improve your application for admission? 


What Is Demonstrated Interest?

Put simply, its the various ways in which a college of university measures the genuine interest of an applicant. It’s a predictive tool used to determine how likely an applicant is to enroll if offered admission, and this is important to colleges and universities. 


Why? 


Why Do Colleges Use Demonstrated Interest?

Business. Business. Business. 


After years of work as a college counselor, I have become more comfortable with removing the often romanticized notion of university admission that permeates the process. Discussing demonstrated interest in college admission means a stark reminder to students and families with a lot of time, energy, and emotions wrapped up in this process that, at the end of the day, colleges and universities need to ensure that they have all of their seats filled. 


At its core, demonstrated interest is used as a business tool. It helps admission offices with one very important business metric:


Yield Prediction: Yield = the number or percentage of accepted admission offers of those admission offers made. 


As a business, if you need to ensure that all of your seats are filled, demonstrated interest can help you gauge the likelihood of one applicant to accept your offer of admission and enroll versus another applicant. 


Demonstrated Interest Examples

There are multiple ways for an applicant to demonstrate interest in a particular university or college during the college search and application process.


  1. In-Person & Virtual Campus Visits: Sign up for official visits and campus tours at the university’s website. Whether in-person or virtual, taking the time to officially enter your name and contact information into the Admission Office’s database for a visit is the #1 way to demonstrate interest in college admission. 


PRO TIP: Just walking around campus on a self-guided tour or staying the weekend in a friend’s dorm room DOES NOT COUNT. While this can be a really helpful experience for you in the application process, it only checks the box for demonstrated interest if you register for an official admission office tour and information session.


  1. College Fairs: You are likely to be invited to a college fair either hosted by your high school, a local organization, or a national organization while you are in high school. Attending these events, speaking with the admission officers present, and filling out their information cards is demonstrated interest.


  2. Admission Officer Visits to Your High School: Many colleges and universities will send admission officers to visit high schools in person throughout the fall and spring. When an admission officer is scheduled to visit your high school, do what you can to attend! Not only is it a great chance to meet someone in the admissions office (who might also be reading your application!), it is a great way to research your university list and determine where you really plan to apply.


  3. Contacting Admissions Officers/Submitted Supplemental Materials: This one should be used judiciously. For example, it is not advisable to reach out to an admission officer with a question that you could easily answer with 5 minutes spent on the university website. However, reaching out to an admissions officer to engage in a truly informative exchange that might help you better understand why you are applying to their university IS advisable. Similarly, submitted supplemental materials is not always welcome at every college/university. Submitting supplemental materials IS advisable anytime you have new, updated information worthy of admission office review since you submitted your application.





  1. Engaging with University-Specific Resources: If you are very interested in a particular college or university, sign up for the school’s mailing list. When they send you emails afterward, open them and click through the links included in their messages. Where possible, interact with their official social media accounts. All of these things are measurable (and are measured!) by the university, and heightened engagement across these communications potentially indicates a student more likely to enroll than another. 


  2. Early Applications: Perhaps the best indicator of demonstrated interest beyond physically visiting a college or university campus is early application. Because of its binding nature, Early Decision is the greatest indicator of all that an applicant will enroll if admitted. While less of an indicator than Early Decision, its partner application plan in early applications, Early Action, is still a great demonstration of commitment and higher than average motivation to a particular college or university. 


  3. Writing a Compelling “Why This College?” Essay: This is one of the most commonly repeated supplemental essay prompts across the board. Being able to articulate details about why you want to attend a certain college or university shows that you have a deep understanding of what makes that institution unique, how your values align with the university’s, and why you are both a good match for each other. 


But writing the “why us” can be tricky. 


READ: Writing the Why Us Essay


Colleges & Universities Considering Demonstrated Interest

This is tricky. Not all college and universities use demonstrated interest. Of those that do, some say so explicitly while others do so quietly without express statements on their internal processes. Popular colleges and university know to use demonstrated interest in college admission include: 


  • American University

  • Tulane University

  • University of Richmond

  • Wake Forest University

  • Loyola University Chicago

  • University of Rochester

  • Emory University (to some extent)

  • Northeastern University


It’s important to research each school’s policy on demonstrated interest. Some colleges explicitly state whether they track it, while others may not make it as obvious.


PRO TIP: Large, public, state universities DO NOT track demonstrated interest. 


Controversy Surrounding Demonstrated Interest

The use of demonstrated interested for college admission has sparked debate. Critics of the practice argue it creates: 


  1. Equity Issues: Demonstrated interest can disadvantage students from low-income students. Additionally, students from historically underrepresented backgrounds in university admission who may lack the financial resources to visit campuses, attend events, or interact with admissions offices will also be negatively impacted by the practice.


  2. Transparency Concerns: Like many aspects of the university admission process, when admission offices are not transparent about the full scope of their application review process, i.e. whether they track demonstrated interest, applicants are left uncertain about how much effort to invest in showing interest.


  3. More Application Hoops to Jump Through: The college application process is already a long, complex project to manage. Adding another layer of expectation on the applicant – to understand what, why, and how demonstrated interest plays a role in the selection process is an unnecessary addition. 


  4. Focus on Business Decisions, Not Applicant Quality: Many critics says focusing on the business decision of admit based on yield rates may mean that equally or even better qualified candidates are not admitted over others. 


Demonstrated interest is just one piece of the admission puzzle, and based on where you ultimately apply for admission, it might not be relevant to your process at all.


Focusing on creating a strong overall application means also making reasonable effort to engage with your top-choice university. Demonstrated interest is an additional strategy that can be used to strengthen your application and boost your candidacy. 


But remember. Authenticity is key in every piece of the university admission process. It resonates more with the admission officers and is the ultimate boost in the application process!


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