When the deadline fell at midnight Jan. 15, Brock University had nearly 16,000 applications from Ontario high school students.

The University is expecting to welcome approximately 4,000 new students in September, similar to recent years.

The total number of applications is fractionally lower than last year, reflecting a province-wide dip, but Brock officials said the University increased its market share of students who made it their first choice, in a year when most of its main competitors lost market share.

Kim Meade, Vice-Provost and Associate Vice-President Student Services, said this is a strong signal that Brock continues to be a top choice among Ontario’s high school students.

“We are not surprised,” Meade said. “Key events last fall indicated that Brock is on the radar for students and their parents. Our showing at the Ontario Universities’ Fair in Toronto was one of our strongest to date, and we had a record number of guests come to our campus for Fall Preview Day in November.”

First-choice applications to Brock from all other “non-secondary” students are also up. This group includes mature students, transfer students from other colleges and universities, and first-year applicants from other provinces and countries. Applications from these students will continue to be accepted throughout winter and spring.

Demand for a Brock degree remains strong across a wide array of programs and Faculties at the University. Popular areas of study include communications, economics, education, sport management, and health and medical sciences.

The University’s Goodman School of Business also continues to draw a significant portion of the school’s application volume. And students are showing greater interest in Brock’s computer sciences programs as a result of grads achieving considerable success in the global market.

“The opportunity to convert potential future students to study at Brock significantly improves when students select the University as their top choice on their applications,” noted Barb Davis, Brock’s Registrar. “We’ve come out very strong in an extremely competitive field and we’re in great shape for this admissions cycle.”

The Ontario Universities’ Application Centre (OUAC) released its preliminary snapshot of applications from current Ontario secondary school students yesterday. Applications for high school students and all other undergraduate applicants are still being received and processed by the OUAC.