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Florida's Colleges
The Admissions Squeeze
Students are finding it harder to get into the state's schools - and a crisis looms as the competition intensifies over the next five years.
As freshmen in Florida adapt this month to the routine of college life, many can take satisfaction in being there at all, having made the cut in an intensifying admissions competition.
Most colleges and universities in Florida report increased numbers of applications for 2006. Applications increased by as little as 1% at large institutions such as Florida State and the private University of Miami while jumping 21% at the University of South Florida and doubling at the private Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne.
The increases are not a one-year phenomenon. The number of applications this year for the University of Florida is up 30% from 2001, and most institutions reported similar or larger increases, some substantially more.
In part, the rising number of applications reflects the ease of applying online. Nationally, students are applying to more schools.
