The Evolution of TCU Student Admissions

"We'll see if our appearance in the National Championship game has had a short term effect, zero effect, or a long term effect." Einstein said when referring to the nearing academic year of 2023-24.

In 2011, the TCU Horned Frogs won the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. The Horned Frogs went up against the Wisconsin Badgers. The Frogs pulled off a win of 21-19.

But what did this mean for the Horned Frogs then? Did student admission rates change for the university?

In the academic year of 2012-13, post-Rose Bowl, there were no major changes in admission numbers. This is due to the fact that students were applying to the university prior to the success of the football season, so there's no way of linking a connection between the two.

In the 2011-12 academic year, there was a slight increase in applicants, but overall, there was a decrease in yield.

Yield is the percentage of admitted students that actually enroll into the university. In the academic year of 2011-12, there were 19,168 students who applied, while, 7,215 were accepted. Compared to the following year of 2012-13, where 19,334 students applied, and 7,900 were accepted.

The Flutie Effect was started in the mid 1980s, when Boston College had a very famous win against the University of Miami, on a Hail Mary. The theory goes that this very win led to a spike in admissions. In two years, Boston College admissions shot up 30%, according to Forbes in an article on the topic.

This athletic achievement was thought to have led to an increase of student admissions at their university the following year.

The Flutie Effect is the increase in fame for the university due to athletic excellence. But currently, there is no evidence to whether this theory stands true or not.

All universities that have been so called "affected" by the Flutie Effect have all been universities already witnessing a steady increase, in terms of admissions.

The difference with TCU is that "Our applicants jumped after the Rose Bowl, and they stayed there." Einstein said.

As of April 2023, TCU is already witnessing a substantial jump in yield. Not only is the percentage of students who accepted their offer this year higher than last year. But it is also higher than the predictions stated for the academic year of 2023-24.

There is a delta, or rate of change, between what the admissions office predicted for this year, versus where numbers are at now. Keep in mind, this is still prior to the May 1 deadline for students to commit to the university of their choice.

As of Fall 2022, 51% of undergraduate students reported living on campus. To break that down further, that means nearly all first-year and sophomore students are primarily living on campus, while juniors and seniors, who are given the option for off campus housing, are primarily living off campus.

One of those students is sophomore Ashton Bartolucci. Bartolucci lived in Sherley residence hall in Fall 2022, and now lives in Marion residence hall as of Fall 2023.

Bartolucci described the dorms as "clean, welcoming and upbeat." Bartolucci said his life in the residence hall has been everything positive.

When asked about his living quarters, Bartolucci said, "I had plenty of room and never felt like my roommates and I were too close in living proximity. It felt like what living in a dorm room was supposed to feel like.

"The one thing I will say is that I can definitely tell housing is filling up. I personally was in a forced triple my first year and have never seen an empty dorm room." Bartolucci added.

With the gradual influx of students attending the university, TCU is building a new residence hall that will be located behind the Neeley. Construction is set to begin spring 2023, and will not be completed until the academic year of 2025-26.

In addition to the new residence hall, there will also be a new dining hall on the east side of campus as well. This dining hall will be available to all students with a dining plan.