On the tails of a decade-high freshman enrollment of 5,195, the University’s Twin Cities campus has revived its online admissions application, said Wayne Sigler, director of admissions.
After several years, the electronic application was removed from the University’s Web site one year ago because of concerns that it was not easy to use. Despite such complaints, about 5,000 of the 30,000 undergraduate applications in 1998 were electronic, Sigler said.
After a yearlong overhaul, which included several focus groups and public-opinion surveys, the improved application was re-posted Nov. 24.
Sigler said he expects 30 to 50 percent of applications for fall semester 2001 to be filled out online.
“It’s hard to say where it will go from there, but in the coming years it will be a major factor in admissions,” Sigler said.
In recent years, online applications have become popular at many colleges and universities across Minnesota, accounting for up to 40 percent of all applications at several institutions.
St. John’s University and the College of St. Benedict, for instance, have seen a 700 percent increase in electronic applications over the last two-and-a-half years, according to a Dec. 3 Associated Press report.

Mike Wereschagin welcomes comments at [email protected]. He can also be reached at (612) 627-4070 x3226.