How to Show Demonstrated Interest in College Admissions

Updated on July 14th, 2022

Most of the college admissions process is very straightforward. Students fill out their Common Apps or other applications, submit ACT or SAT scores, write college personal statements, tackle college essays, and shuttle off transcripts. But now, there’s a new part to the equation: demonstrated interest.

Technically, there’s another part of handling college admissions: getting ready to pay for school. Scholarships can make any college more affordable, so they should be part of your student’s financial aid plan. If you and your student want to learn more about finding college scholarships, sign up for our free college scholarship webinar! Take a trip over to http://thescholarshipsystem.com/freewebinar to reserve your spot today.

Demonstrated interest feels like a bit of an odd requirement. After all, submitting an application is a way to show a school a student is interested. However, demonstrated interest in college admissions is becoming more common. As a result, students need to be ready to handle it if the need arises.

If your student is wondering, what is demonstrated interest, how to show demonstrated interest, and what schools track demonstrated interest, here’s what you need to know.

What Is Demonstrated Interest?

Overall, demonstrated interest is what it sounds like; it’s a student expressing a clear interest in attending a specific college. Essentially, it involves a student showcasing their enthusiasm, curiosity, or drive to join the rolls of a particular school by taking steps beyond simply applying.

When it comes to how to show demonstrated interest in a college, there are several options, which we’ll dig into in a moment. While they all require more than applying, many are surprisingly simple, and some can even be done online.

Why Are Schools Requiring Demonstrated Interest?

In many ways, the rise of demonstrated interest is tied to technology. New application systems – particularly the Common Application – make it easier for students to apply to schools en masse. As a result, some students are applying to colleges that they are only kind of considering or are sending off applications to top-tier schools because, why not?

Since colleges are seeing more applications thanks to these system updates, many schools are looking for ways to figure out which students are genuinely passionate about attending their institution and which applied for other reasons. As a result, demonstrated interest became part of their admissions process.

Additionally, it isn’t uncommon for students to send in applications to some colleges because someone else wanted them to do it. For example, a student submitting their Common App to their parent’s alma mater because their parent wanted them to isn’t a rare occurrence. This is yet another driving force behind demonstrated interest.

What Colleges Track Demonstrated Interest?

It’s important to note that demonstrated interest isn’t always listed as a requirement for admissions. Additionally, not all colleges take it into account.

However, some schools do favor students who express a demonstrated interest. As a result, if your student has an eye on one of those colleges, it’s best to put in the extra effort.

Here is a list of some of the schools that take demonstrated interest into account when deciding which students to admit:

• Allegheny College
• American University
• Antioch College
• Appalachian State University
• Assumption College
• Auburn University
• Augustana College
• Austin College
• Bates College
• Bellarmine University
• Bentley University
• Boston University
• Brandeis University
• Butler University
• California Baptist University
• Case Western Reserve University
• Cedarville University
• Champlain College
• Christopher Newport University
• College of the Ozarks
• College of Wooster
• Cooper Union
• Denison University
• DePaul University
• Dickinson College
• Eckerd College
• Elmira College
• Emmanuel College – Boston
• Emory & Henry College
• Evergreen State College
• Fairfield University
• Flagler College
• Florida Institute of Technology
• Florida Southern College
• Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering
• Georgia College
• Georgia Tech
• Gordon College
• Guilford College
• Hampshire College
• Hawaii Pacific University
• High Point University
• Hillsdale College
• Hiram College
• Iona College
• Ithaca College
• Kansas State University
• Kenyon College
• Lehigh University
• Louisiana Tech University
• Loyola University Chicago
• Manhattanville College
• Marlboro College
• Marymount Manhattan College
• Mercer University
• Merrimack College
• Morehouse College
• Mount St. Mary’s University 
• Nazareth College
• New College of Florida
• New York University
• Northwestern University
• Notre Dame de Namur University
• Oglethorpe University
• Pacific University
• Pratt Institute
• Quinnipiac University
• Reed College
• Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
• Roanoke College
• Roger Williams University
• Rutgers University – Camden
• Sacred Heart University
• Saint John’s College
• Samford University
• Seattle University
• Seton Hall University
• Skidmore College
• Soka University of America
• John Fisher College
• John’s College – Annapolis
• John’s College – Santa Fe
• SUNY — Environmental Science and Forestry
• Susquehanna University
• Syracuse University
• Thomas Aquinas College
• Trinity College
• Tulane University
• Union College
• United States Air Force Academy
• United States Merchant Marine Academy
• United States Military Academy
• United States Naval Academy
• University of Arizona
• University of Dayton
• University of Evansville
• University of Florida
• University of Massachusetts – Amherst
• University of Michigan
• University of North Carolina at Asheville
• University of Texas – Rio Grande Valley
• University of Texas – Tyler
• University of Tulsa
• University of Washington – Bothell
• University of Wisconsin – La Crosse
• Utica College
• Vanguard University of Southern California
• Wabash College
• Washington College
• Washington University in St. Louis
• Webb Institute
• Western Carolina University
• Western Washington University
• Westmont College
• Wheaton College 
• Wingate University

It’s important to note that this list is not all-inclusive. Other schools may take demonstrated interest into account, though they may simply be less open about it or less known for doing so.

In many cases, as the list above shows, smaller private colleges and universities are more likely to factor in demonstrated interest when choosing who to admit. Often, this is because they can only bring in so many students, so they want to focus on those who have the right credentials and are also genuinely enthusiastic about attending.

Larger public colleges and universities are less inclined to do so, partially because they can welcome such a large student body. However, that doesn’t mean they never do, as some of the entries in the list above show.

Finally, colleges like Harvard and Yale typically don’t factor in demonstrated interest. Those schools are prestigious, so they rarely doubt how genuine a student’s interest is, making it unnecessary to explore it deeper.

Ultimately, if your student has an eye on any school, displaying a demonstrated interest is a good idea. That way, if the college considers it, they have that base covered.

How to Show Demonstrated Interest

Generally, showing demonstrated interest isn’t as hard as it may seem on the surface. There isn’t a specific process a student has to follow. Instead, they can choose an approach that meets their needs.

Practically any step a student can take beyond submitting an application can often do the trick. For example, if your student is applying to colleges that want to see demonstrated interest, they can:

• Attend a college tour (either in-person or virtually)
• Sign up for the school’s newsletter (and actually open them)
• Follow the college on social media
• Set up an informational interview through the college
• Attend a webinar
• Apply for early decision
• Target the college essays to the school
• Contact the admissions department with a good question

As you can see, demonstrated interest usually involves just doing one extra thing beyond submitting an application. It’s that additional effort that stands out, showing that the student is applying because they are excited about potentially heading to that school. That way, the college has little doubt about whether the student would be thrilled to attend, making them more likely to admit them if they otherwise qualify.

Technically, there’s another part of handling college admissions: getting ready to pay for school. Scholarships can make any college more affordable, so they should be part of your student’s financial aid plan. If you and your student want to learn more about finding college scholarships, sign up for our free college scholarship webinar! Take a trip over to http://thescholarshipsystem.com/freewebinar to reserve your spot today.