March Madness Schools See Major Application Bumps
We are in the thick of March Madness and if you think it’s only good for hanging out with friends and maybe winning some money on your bracket, turns out you’d be wrong. Because apparently, it’s doing a great job at recruiting kids to schools.
A new Student Loan Hero report finds:
- Colleges that make the NCCA men’s basketball Final Four see a major increase in applications.
- Starting in 2004, in 12 of 16 tournaments, Final Four teams saw a combined yearly rise in applications higher than the normal national increase.
- From 2005 to 2020, that average year-over-year increase was 8.1% compared to the 4.6% national average.
- From 2004 to 2019, only eight schools saw decreases the year after they reached the Final Four.
- As for the school with the biggest increase, that would be Butler University, which in 2010 lost in the finals to Duke, but saw a 40.8% increase in applications the following year.
- Other major increases include:
- 2013: Kentucky (30.7% — won a national title in 2012)
- 2014: Wichita State (29.4% — reached the Final Four in 2013)
- 2013: Kansas (23.5% — lost in the title game in 2012)
- 2007: George Mason (23.0% — reached the Final Four in 2006)
Did you go to a school that usually plays in March Madness? Did the tournament influence your decision to apply? Tweet us! @theMRLshow
If this type of bracket isn’t really your thing, then we’ve got you covered with March MANness. Who needs basketball when you have all of these attractive men to look at? With our March MANness bracket, you can vote for who you find the most attractive celebrity in Hollywood and we will find out who takes the title as The Most Attractive Man in March MANness! The bracket is filled with 32 randomly selected fine-looking men. Voting will take place from March 1st through April 5th, 2022. The winner will be announced on April 6th, 2022. Vote here!