News In Brief

Space available at hundreds of colleges

Amy Scott May 5, 2011

Waitlisted college applicants might despair to learn that some schools have waiting lists twice as large as their freshman class. But plenty of colleges are still accepting applications for next year. The National Association for College Admission Counseling is out with its annual Space Availability Survey. It names close to 300 colleges still looking to fill seats in the fall. They range from small private colleges like Mills in Oakland, Calif., to large public universities like Arizona State.

“It is important for students and their counselors to know that many quality institutions still have both space and financial aid available for those who have not yet completed the college admission process,” said Joyce Smith, NACAC’s Chief Executive Officer in a press release.

NACAC also has some good news for the waitlisted. Overall, the chances of moving from a “maybe” to a “yes” have improved. Last year almost 34 percent of students placed on a wait list eventually got in, according to the group — up from about 30 percent in 2007.

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