Number of Applicants Comparison

[Newton]

I used my charm at the physics departments to get the raw numbers for this year. Thought I'd pass along the info:

Uni. of Colorado, Boulder (top 20): 600+ applicants, 30 available spots
General State Uni. (top 100): 60+ applicants, 6-12 available spots

If you don't have a sterling record, there is still hope for all of you in the top 60-100 programs. Even if you tanked part of your application (PGRE or GPA), applying to more than a few of these schools could get you into a grad program. I highly recommend finding a professor's work that interests you and setting up meetings with them. These in-person interviews will greatly help your chances. Best of luck

[quizivex]

Great thread!

I used my charm at the physics departments to get the raw numbers for this year.

You posted readily available information for one graduate program! And you left out the total number of offers given, which is perhaps more meaningful to prospective students than the number enrolled. (125 accepted to Colorado this past year for instance.)

If you don't have a sterling record, there is still hope for all of you in the top 60-100 programs.

...because that is who the low ranked schools are for, by definition.

[photonic]

If you're applying to programs ranked 60-100, might as well apply to Dartmouth. Its ranked 70 according to US World news so its not hard to get into (gets ~60 applicants a year and 16 enroll, gradschool shopper doesn't say anymore) and at least you get to graduate with an ivy league degree

On the other hand its in new hampshire.

[bschroe]

If you don't have a sterling record, there is still hope for all of you in the top 60-100 programs.

...because that is who the low ranked schools are for, by definition.

Not by definition.

Low ranked schools are for whatever the algorithm says. The US News algorithm does include scores and GPA, but a program which ranks highly there could fail other criteria.

Yes, it is pedantic, but this is a board with a lot of theorists, after all!