In the admissions world, we work on the academic year which is made up of fall, spring, and summer semesters. When you’re so used to the academic year, it’s sometimes difficult to think about time in terms of the calendar year . Also, how does anyone properly keep track of time while living through a pandemic? I thought we were all still processing 2020.
Like most years, 2021 had its ups and downs; challenges and successes; celebrations and sorrows. How quickly the time has passed, and now, the holiday season is upon us. Finals, holiday parties, spending time with those we love the most. Every year, I spend time with my family watching at least one or two holiday movies. What would the end of the year be without Home Alone? Kevin McAlister is going to help add some humor to our recap today. Everyone loves Kevin, right?
We’ll recap 2021 by semester. 😊 Here we go!
Spring Semester
2021 began with the spring semester. Ah, spring. A time when we in admissions like to think that we’re slightly less busy than the fall. But really, this spring, we were busy with admissions deadlines and our most competitive applicant pool yet. We weren’t expecting quite so many applications, but we worked incredibly hard to make sure that each student received a full and thorough review. The Class of 2025 is amazing, and we’re so proud that you joined the Auburn Family!
Spring was busy for the rest of campus as well. Auburn celebrated two amazing Auburn women, Dr. Bessie Mae Holloway and Dr. Josetta Brittain Matthews, by naming residence halls in their honor. Dr. Holloway was Auburn’s first African American Board of Trustees member, and Dr. Matthews was the university’s first African American graduate and faculty member. Auburn Liberal Arts student Amelia Grace Hill was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to teach in Galicia, Spain; and Auburn Engineering student Shelby Wales was named a Goldwater Scholar to continue her research on 3D printing and geochemical reactions.
Auburn reopened the Gogue Performing Arts Center and featured performances by Wynton Marsalis, The Legendary Count Basie Orchestra, and Zakir Hussain. Auburn also received top rankings from U.S. News & World Report for many online graduate programs, earned the 2021-2022 Military Friendly® School designation, and was named a Yamaha Institution of Excellence.
Summer Semester
Summer is usually quieter in the admissions office. A time to recharge. Still, we were busy gearing up for the fall.
Auburn University was certainly busy as well. Auburn was well-represented at the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics with 15 current and former Auburn Tiger athletes. Auburn students returned to Ariccia, Italy with Auburn Abroad to study over the summer. Professor Latif Kalin of the School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences was selected to receive a Fulbright U.S. Scholar Award to conduct research in Brazil.
Fall Semester
Fall is the busiest time for the admissions office. We opened Fall 2022 admissions applications in August of 2021, and we’ve been going nonstop ever since.
In any normal year, Auburn would see roughly 20,000 admissions applications. We recently surpassed our previous record with 40,000+ freshmen applications for Fall 2022. Yes, this means that we’re already experiencing a 68.5% increase from Fall 2021 and a 155% increase from Fall 2020. Not only have the application numbers increased, but the academic profile of the applicant pool has increased as well. The average GPA of accepted students is currently a 4.21, and the average ACT score of accepted students is a 28.6. For Alabama residents, the averages for accepted students are a 4.1 GPA and a 27.1 ACT. For non-residents, the averages for accepted students are a 4.27 GPA and a 29.8 ACT.
Auburn was also named among the top public schools in U.S. News and World Report’s 2022 Best Colleges rankings. We are excited to remain one of the top institutions in the United States. Auburn University’s bald eagle Spirit was named an Honorary War Eagle and took her final stadium flight this fall. Auburn introduced a new and improved fleet of Tiger Transits, and Auburn opened The Edge at Central Dining which is the new two-story dining hall.
It’s been quite the year. Here’s to looking forward to 2022! We are excited to see how the Class of 2026 shapes up! Hoping you have more ups than downs, more successes than defeats, and more celebrations than sorrows in 2022.
Happy Holidays, Happy New Year, and War Eagle!
