2014 US News Rankings released

[Tx_Mustang10]

Yeah, I mean, having a good basketball team probably doesn't matter much if you're a state school, but if out-of-state students may not know what your school's initials stand for, making it into their family rooms via the television helps. Butler, Gonzaga, Xavier, Marquette... all of those schools have received more applicants (and thus better students to choose from) from their tournament-worthy basketball teams. I have no footnote for this either, but I have to imagine that national championship basketball and football teams see a spike in applications the next year, almost always.*

*a quick google showed 18% rise for Auburn in '11 (football), and 11% for somebody else in '06, but I didn't click

[Pony^]

Another school gets caught cheating . . .

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/washington-and-lee-president-asks-for-review-of-reporting-procedures-for-admissions-data/2013/09/23/9516dc80-2489-11e3-ad0d-b7c8d2a594b9_story.html?hpid=z4

[Mustangs_Maroons]

The study concluded, "… schools which do well in basketball are able to recruit an incoming class with 1 to 4 percent more students scoring above 500 on the math and verbal SAT. Similarly, these schools could expect 1 to 4 percent more of their incoming students to score above a 600 on the math and verbal SAT."

http://espn.go.com/blog/playbook/dollars/post/_/id/3222/how-fgcus-run-can-benefit-admissions

So those are figures that appear statistically "significant" but are they meaningful for a school with an average SAT of 1300+? Butler's applications grew 50% from 2009 to 2011. What about their quality?

I agree with tristatecoog that getting more visibility from sports can bring more applicants, but that isn't necessarioy reflected in the quality. tcu is a good example; they got a significant bump in their apps due to their football, but that doesn't mean the additional applicants were that much greater. The quality of their student body is still significantly below SMU, even though they get less applicants. Nevertheless, I would still prefer to have more student applicants than not this at least helps the percentage accepted metric.

[Pony^]

The study concluded, "… schools which do well in basketball are able to recruit an incoming class with 1 to 4 percent more students scoring above 500 on the math and verbal SAT. Similarly, these schools could expect 1 to 4 percent more of their incoming students to score above a 600 on the math and verbal SAT."

http://espn.go.com/blog/playbook/dollars/post/_/id/3222/how-fgcus-run-can-benefit-admissions

So those are figures that appear statistically "significant" but are they meaningful for a school with an average SAT of 1300+? Butler's applications grew 50% from 2009 to 2011. What about their quality?

I agree with tristatecoog that getting more visibility from sports can bring more applicants, but that isn't necessarioy reflected in the quality. tcu is a good example; they got a significant bump in their apps due to their football, but that doesn't mean the additional applicants were that much greater. The quality of their student body is still significantly below SMU, even though they get less applicants. Nevertheless, I would still prefer to have more student applicants than not this at least helps the percentage accepted metric.

You could also argue that Baylor has had more successful sports teams lately; however, the quality of its incoming first-year students has not greatly improved. Baylor has increased its applicant pool, partly because of sports and partly because the school does not charge an application fee [Tulane also does not charge an application fee to increase applicants.].

Baylor's average freshman SAT score was 1234 in 2012 and 1228 in 2013. See, http://www.baylor.edu/content/services/document.php/209350.pdf

In contrast, SMU has increased its average first-year SAT scores from 1274 in 2012 to 1302 in 2013. It takes a lot more than successful sports teams to increase student quality.

[Pony^]

Also, in 2007 Baylor's average SAT score was 1219 and SMU's was 1224.

http://www.baylor.edu/content/services/document.php/193118.pdf

https://smu.edu/provost/pdf/FacultySenateOct12.pdf See page 9.

[tristatecoog]

Good stats. Has the engineering college made a big difference (i.e., grown matriculation)? I know Cox's SATs have risen quite a bit.

[Pony^]

Good stats. Has the engineering college made a big difference (i.e., grown matriculation)? I know Cox's SATs have risen quite a bit.

Total fall semester enrollment (not matriculation) in undergraduate engineering has increased from 355 students in 2008 to 600 students in 2012.

http://smu.edu/ir/Publications/Trends_2012/Headcounts_College_2012.pdf

[Pony^]

Declared engineering majors of first time, undergraduate students increased from 187 in 2008 to 203 in 2012.

http://smu.edu/ir/Publications/Trends_2012/Headcounts_FT_Undergrad_2012.pdf

[tristatecoog]

So just 15 more FTIC freshmen engineering students in 2013 compared with 2008. The total enrollment has increased by 245 so maybe there are more transfer students or the FTIC figure increased before 2008. Those students typically have higher SATs than the average student.

Matriculation? From the best of all sources (wiki), "matriculation" can refer to mere enrollment or registration as a student at a university or college by a student intending to earn a degree. However, not as clear as enrollment.

[FroggieFever]

Another school gets caught cheating . . .

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/washington-and-lee-president-asks-for-review-of-reporting-procedures-for-admissions-data/2013/09/23/9516dc80-2489-11e3-ad0d-b7c8d2a594b9_story.html?hpid=z4

I will formally bet that Baylor is doing the same. I'll pay for the audit ($10,000). If I'm wrong, I'll donate $25,000 to their scholarship fund.

[Pony^]

Another school gets caught cheating . . .

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/washington-and-lee-president-asks-for-review-of-reporting-procedures-for-admissions-data/2013/09/23/9516dc80-2489-11e3-ad0d-b7c8d2a594b9_story.html?hpid=z4

I will formally bet that Baylor is doing the same. I'll pay for the audit ($10,000). If I'm wrong, I'll donate $25,000 to their scholarship fund.

No need to pay for an audit, they essentially admit they have been doing this in the past -- just look at their website. Baylor got religion in 2012 and reported "completed" applications. That's why their acceptance rate went from 39.7% in 2011 to 60.6% in 2012. As far as I know, Baylor quietly made the change without calling attention to their previous misreporting.

See page 5 of this report showing:

2011:

Applications: 38,960
Completed Applications: 24,447
Acceptances: 15,451

2012:

Applications: 41,683
Completed Applications: 27,828
Acceptances: 16,879

http://www.baylor.edu/content/services/document.php/193118.pdf

Compare to page 8 of Baylor's 2011 Common Data Set showing:

Applications: 38,960
Acceptances: 15,451
Acceptance Rate: 39.7%

The instructions stated:

Applicants should include only those students who fulfilled the requirements for consideration for admission (i.e., who completed actionable applications) and who have been notified of one of the following actions: admission, nonadmission, placement on waiting list, or application withdrawn (by applicant or institution). Admitted applicants should include wait-listed students who were subsequently offered admission.

http://www.baylor.edu/content/services/document.php/160275.pdf

Compare to page 7 of Baylor's 2012 Common Data Set showing:

Applications: 27,828
Acceptances: 16,870
Acceptance Rate: 60.6%

http://www.baylor.edu/content/services/document.php/195690.pdf

[gostangs]

It is flat out amazing that they get that many people to apply to that poor a school, to have so little fun in that crappy of a town.

[NavyCrimson]

iT'S CALLED WINNING GAMES IN BASKETBALL, FOOTBALL, & IN BASEBALL. Simple solution.

Got to hand it to them, they took the ball & ran with it & we didn't.

[Pony^]

It is flat out amazing that they get that many people to apply to that poor a school, to have so little fun in that crappy of a town.

As I mentioned before, Baylor does not charge an application fee, so people have nothing to lose by applying. Baylor's applications spiked when they dropped the application fee. Tulane uses the same tactic.

[NavyCrimson]

Why don't we then??