Villanova is known for several things: academic rigor, community, involvement and Villanova basketball.
Since 1985, Villanova’s men’s basketball has won six Big East championships, has had five final four appearances and has won three national championships. These successes have elevated Villanova’s status, introducing the University to parts of the country that were unfamiliar with the school before the Wildcats earned these titles.
In the 2015-16 application cycle, Villanova University had a 47.89% acceptance rate. Two national titles later, in the 2018-19 cycle, the rate dropped to 29.22%. Most recently, the 2024-2025 rate was 27.4%.
Dropping over 20% in nine years opens the door for the question: how much has Villanova basketball impacted this decrease?
“When I applied to Villanova, I knew very little about the school,” senior Jenna Parker said. “I did not know how big or where the school was, I did not know it was considered such a prestigious university, and, most shockingly, I did not know it was a Catholic institution. What I did know was the basketball team. I have been a huge basketball fan since I was little and would religiously watch March Madness every year. I could distinctly remember the name Villanova from my brackets, and when I was looking for colleges, I decided to apply. Four years later, and here I am, all because I remembered watching the team in elementary school.”
Villanova has continued to get an increase in applications year after year, and with both the men’s and women’s basketball teams making the NCAA Tournament this year, the question remains on how this will impact next year’s admissions cycle.
“I think Villanova has made a name for itself in many ways, academically, religiously, socially, but one of the biggest is through the reputation of the basketball team,” Parker said. “College sports are important to many people, and when a team has a record of success, people will flock there to be a part of it. I think that the community which has been built around Villanova basketball has had a significant impact on the school’s admissions.”
Basketball is not the only thing impacting admissions in the current and future cycles.
Many students and members of the Villanova community believe that the Pope will also make a large impact for years to come.
“I believe the Pope will have a bigger impact on admissions,” senior Maggie Parham said. “Over the summer, while sharing my Villanova email address with others, they recognized the school because of the Pope, not because of basketball.”
Some of the incoming students in the Class of 2030 credit their decision to apply for both reasons.
“I applied to Villanova because it is a great school,” an incoming freshman who requested anonymity, due to being younger than 18, said. “I found out about Villanova when I was in middle school, when they made the Final Four in 2022. My older brother was looking at schools, and that made him add Villanova to his list. Once the Pope was announced last Spring, I remembered how much I enjoyed touring the school with him, and I decided to apply. If it were not for these two reasons, I would not be attending Nova next year.”
The numbers prove that the national attention that an NCAA championship brings affects admissions rates. The numbers also show an increase in applicants for the same target class sizes.
With the addition of the Cabrini and Rosemont campuses, the University plans on increasing its target class sizes.
While success in basketball and the Pope continue to drive admissions numbers, acceptance rates may begin to fluctuate.
As the Villanova community prepares to support the Villanova teams and welcome the Class of 2030, these trends will continue to be monitored as the University expands.
