Everyone knows that a great GPA and strong test scores, involvement in sports and other extracurriculars, and volunteer and leadership experience are important factors colleges consider in admissions decisions. But did you know that at some colleges, you can increase your chances of acceptance just by showing your interest in the school?
In the world of college admissions, this is known as demonstrated interest: an applicant’s interaction with a college that shows their interest in the school. Many colleges track demonstrated interest, and for colleges where demonstrated interest matters, it can boost your odds and may even be the deciding factor in close decisions.
Demonstrated interest matters because colleges want to admit students who are genuinely excited about attending the school. In part this is because these students are likely to engage with the campus community in positive ways once they’re enrolled, and in part it’s because those students are most likely to enroll in the first place, increasing the college’s yield rate.
Colleges pay attention to applicants’ interaction throughout the admissions process, so you’ll have lots of opportunities to show demonstrated interest, including:
- Opening and engaging with emails from the school
- Following and engaging with the school on social media
- Speaking with admissions reps at college
- Attending in-person or virtual info sessions
- Visiting the campus
- Writing strong supplemental essays, especially Why Major? and Why College? essays
- Attending an interview (if offered)
- Applying Early Action or Early Decision
Not every school tracks demonstrated interest, and for those that do, it isn’t always an important factor in admissions offers, but for colleges where demonstrated interest matters most—like the ones listed below—authentic engagement that shows genuine interest in the school can be a game changer.
24 Colleges Where Demonstrated Interest Matters Most
American University (Washington, DC)
College Type: Private
Undergraduate Enrollment: 7,814
Admission Rate: 47%
With strong programs in international service, public affairs, business, and law, American University is an R1 research university and a top feeder school to the US State Department. It’s also a leader in sustainability, becoming the first carbon-neutral university in the United States in 2018 and eliminating public fossil fuel investments from its endowment in 2020.
Antioch College (Yellow Springs, OH)
College Type: Private
Undergraduate Enrollment: 127
Admission Rate: 82%
Antioch College offers self-designed, interdisciplinary majors on five pathways: Culture, Power, & Change; Interdisciplinary Arts & Creative Practice; Global Studies & Engagement; Social Enterprise & Innovation; and Sustainability & the Environment. This progressive college emphasizes experiential learning, with a focus on social justice and sustainability.
Augustana College (Rock Island, IL)
College Type: Private
Undergraduate Enrollment: 2,446
Admission Rate: 68%
A Lutheran liberal arts school, Augustana College offers strong programs in biology, business, communications, and public health. Features of the campus along the Mississippi River include Old Main, a Renaissance-Revival academic building listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and the Fryxell Geology Museum, home to a two-billion-year-old dinosaur fossil.
Bellarmine University (Louisville, KY)
College Type: Private
Undergraduate Enrollment: 2,351
Admission Rate: 94%
Founded in 1950, Bellarmine University is a Catholic college featuring modern campus facilities, a chapel surrounded by woods, and the only Division I lacrosse program in Kentucky. Its seven colleges and schools offer degrees in more than 50 majors, including programs in business, nursing and health sciences, education, and communications.
Cooper Union (New York, NY)
College Type: Private
Undergraduate Enrollment: 901
Admission Rate: 19%
A highly selective small college in the big city, Cooper Union offers half-tuition scholarships to every admitted student. Its three schools—Art, Architecture, and Engineering—are housed in just two buildings: the historic Foundation Building and the ultra-modern 41 Cooper Square in the heart of Lower Manhattan.
Dickinson College (Carlisle, PA)
College Type: Private
Undergraduate Enrollment: 2,204
Admission Rate: 43%
Founded in 1773 by Benjamin Rush, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, Dickinson College is the oldest college in the United States chartered after the Revolution. It offers bachelor’s degree programs in 22 disciplinary and 20 interdisciplinary majors, as well as an innovative 3:2 engineering program in partnership with Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and Case Western Reserve.
Georgia College & State University (Milledgeville, GA)
College Type: Public
Undergraduate Enrollment: 5,681
Admission Rate: 88%
Georgia College & State University’s four colleges offer a wide variety of degree programs in the arts and sciences, education, business, and health sciences. Designated Georgia’s “Public Liberal Arts University” since 1996, the school’s programs are consistently top-ranked among state and regional colleges.
Hiram College (Hiram, OH)
College Type: Private
Undergraduate Enrollment: 983
Admission Rate: 93%
Hiram College is a small private school with an educational approach that emphasizes interdisciplinary coursework, international learning experiences, and faculty-guided research. It’s also home to the 500-acre James H. Barrow Field Station, which offers students fantastic hands-on experiences in ecology and conservation.
Maine Maritime Academy (Castine, ME)
College Type: Public
Undergraduate Enrollment: 889
Admission Rate: 61%
One of only six non-federal maritime academies in the United States, Maine Maritime Academy offers a career-focused education in marine sciences, maritime engineering, and international business and logistics. Every fall, incoming first-year students take part in the MMA Ship Jump, leaping 33 feet from the stern of a ship into the ocean—and their new life as Mariners.
Morehouse College (Atlanta, GA)
College Type: Private
Undergraduate Enrollment: 2,738
Admission Rate: 51%
A historically Black college and the largest men’s liberal arts college in the United States, Morehouse College offers more than 30 majors in a variety of academic areas and the prestigious Howard Thurman Honors Program. The school is well known for producing leaders, including civil rights leaders Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Julian Bond, and has been home to 11 Fulbright Scholars, five Rhodes Scholars, and five Marshall Scholars.
Manhattanville University (Purchase, NY)
College Type: Private
Undergraduate Enrollment: 1,329
Admission Rate: 85%
Located just outside New York City, Manhattanville University offers more than 55 undergraduate programs in the arts and sciences, education, and nursing and health sciences. The college has a strong focus on ethics and social responsibility, with students completing more than 30,000 service hours each year, as well as experiential and interdisciplinary learning.
Olin College of Engineering (Needham, MA)
College Type: Private
Undergraduate Enrollment: 402
Admission Rate: 22%
Olin College is a highly specialized school offering programs in engineering, electrical and computer engineering, and mechanical engineering. The school’s project-based approach emphasizes hands-on, multidisciplinary learning that integrates math, science, the humanities, and social studies and features co-teaching by faculty across disciplines.
Pacific University (Forest Grove, OR)
College Type: Private
Undergraduate Enrollment: 1,613
Admission Rate: 92%
Pacific University offers degrees in the arts and sciences, business, education, and the health professions, including unique programs in sustainability, outdoor leadership, and music therapy. The university has two campuses in Oregon’s Willamette Valley; its Forest Grove campus is home to Old College Hall, the oldest educational structure west of the Mississippi.
Sacred Heart University (Fairfield, CT)
College Type: Private
Undergraduate Enrollment: 6,960
Admission Rate: 68%
Founded in 1963, Sacred Heart University was the first Catholic university in the United States staffed by the laity and is the second-largest Catholic university in New England. The school offers degrees in a diverse range of programs across five colleges and three schools, including bachelor’s + master’s programs that can be completed in five or six years, depending on the major.
Seton Hall University (South Orange, NJ)
College Type: Private
Undergraduate Enrollment: 6,061
Admission Rate: 79%
Seton Hall offers degrees in more than 70 academic disciplines, including the arts and sciences, theology, nursing, business, health and medical sciences, and diplomacy and international relations. Outside the classroom, the school is best known for basketball: Since its first appearance in 1989, the Pirates have appeared in 13 NCAA Division I tournaments.
SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (Syracuse, NY)
College Type: Public
Undergraduate Enrollment: 2,346
Admission Rate: 83%
SUNY ESF is a designated State University of New York “specialized institution” with a focus in environmental management and stewardship. This R2 research university offers programs in chemistry, environmental and forest biology, environmental resources engineering, environmental studies, sustainable resources management, landscape architecture, and chemical engineering, with field-based learning in the Adirondacks, the Thousand Islands, and Costa Rica.
Syracuse University (Syracuse, NY)
College Type: Private
Undergraduate Enrollment: 15,739
Admission Rate: 42%
NCAA sports fans know Syracuse University as the home of the Orange, but it’s also an R1 research university with excellent programs in engineering, public policy, and the arts. The Newhouse School of Public Communications offers top-notch communications and journalism programs that are ranked among the best in the United States.
United States Air Force Academy (Colorado Springs, CO)
College Type: Public
Undergraduate Enrollment: 4,124
Admission Rate: 14%
The US Air Force Academy is a federal service academy that offers Bachelor of Science degrees in a variety of subjects, with a core curriculum focused on science, engineering, humanities, and military studies. Admission is extremely competitive, requiring a congressional nomination; cadets attend the academy on a full scholarship and graduate as commissioned officers in either the US Air Force or the US Space Force.
United States Naval Academy (Annapolis, MD)
College Type: Public
Undergraduate Enrollment: 4,465
Admission Rate: 9%
Part of the Naval University System, the US Naval Academy offers Bachelor of Science degrees in 22 subject areas across three divisions—Engineering and Weapons, Mathematics and Science, and Humanities and Social Sciences. Admission is extremely competitive, requiring a congressional nomination; midshipmen attend the academy on a full scholarship and graduate as commissioned officers in either the US Navy or the US Marines.
University of the Ozarks (Clarksville, AR)
College Type: Private
Undergraduate Enrollment: 763
Admission Rate: 58%
The oldest university in Arkansas—and one of the oldest west of the Mississippi—the University of the Ozarks offers more than 60 programs in the liberal arts tradition across a variety of subject areas. The college is also home to the Jones Learning Center, the first program in the United States designed to support the learning needs of students with learning disabilities, ADHD, and Autism Spectrum Disorder at the college level.
Vanguard University (Costa Mesa, CA)
College Type: Private
Undergraduate Enrollment: 1,987
Admission Rate: 65%
Vanguard University is a private Christian college offering degree programs in the liberal arts, business and management, education, and theology. Consistently ranked as a top regional school for academics and value, the college places a strong emphasis on service and spiritual life, requiring students to earn 30 chapel credits per semester.
Wabash College (Crawfordsville, IN)
College Type: Private
Undergraduate Enrollment: 845
Admission Rate: 63%
One of only three non-religious all-male colleges in the United States, Wabash College offers 36 undergraduate majors in the natural sciences, humanities and the arts, and social sciences, and requires seniors to take a comprehensive examination in their major subject area before graduating. This tight-knit school values community, with annual traditions like Ringing In Saturday for incoming freshmen and Chapel Sing during Homecoming.
Washington College (Chestertown, MD)
College Type: Private
Undergraduate Enrollment: 916
Admission Rate: 66%
Founded in 1782 with support from none other than George Washington himself, Washington University is one of the oldest colleges in the United States. It offers strong programs in business administration and management, psychology, biological sciences, English language and literature, and political science, and features the Chesapeake Semester, a four-course program exploring environmental stewardship.
Westmont College (Santa Barbara, CA)
College Type: Private
Undergraduate Enrollment: 1,310
Admission Rate: 80%
Westmont College is a private Christian college offering 26 majors in the classical liberal arts tradition. The school emphasizes the importance of off-campus learning, with more than half of students participating in study abroad programs in Europe, the Middle East, Mexico, and other locations around the world, as well as student exchange programs with other colleges in the Christian College Consortium.
Conclusion
If any of these schools seem like just what you’re looking for in a college home, don’t be afraid to show them you’re interested! Remember that clicking every link and reading every email and social media post—or even showing real commitment by applying Early Decision—doesn’t guarantee admission, but for colleges where demonstrated interest matters most, it may be the factor that tips the scales in your favor.
Looking for further guidance on how to use demonstrated interest to your advantage? The HelloCollege counseling team has you covered. Book your free consultation today to learn more about building a strategic college list and setting yourself up for admissions success.
