High-Ranking Women’s Colleges Report a Surge in Applicants

The appeal of the nation’s top-ranked women’s colleges remains high. Smith College, Mount Holyoke College, and Bryn Mawr all report that they received a record number of applications this year.

There were 4,321 applicants to the Class of 2016 at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts. This surpassed the 2011 record of 4,128 applicants. Smith broke the 4,000 applicant barrier in 2009 and the number of applications received has grown each year.

More than 2,600 students applied to Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania this year. That is a 12 percent increase from a year ago and an all-time high.

At Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Massachusetts, nearly 3,900 students filed applications this year. The number is 15 percent higher than last year’s record applicant pool. Admissions officials point to the fact that Mount Holyoke was ranked first in the category “Best Classroom Experience” by the Princeton Review, as one factor helping to explain the record high interest in the college.