In its annual survey of college counselors, the National Association for College Admission Counseling reports that colleges accepted 65.8% of freshman applicants for the fall 2014 semester (the most recent data available).

Between the Fall 2014 and Fall 2015 admission cycles, the number of applications from first-time freshmen increased 6 percent; applications from prospective transfer students increased by 4 percent; and international student applications increased by 23 percent, on average. Therefore, the largest demographic of growth of first-time US college applicants are international students.