In an era when the population of 18-to-20-year-olds continues to dwindle, Brock University is seeing slight growth in Grade 12 applications that name Brock among their top 3 choices of universities for next fall.

New data from the Ontario Universities’ Application Centre shows the number of Ontario high school applications this year listing Brock as a top-3 grew by .9 per cent over 2015. Brock has received 14,724 applications from Ontario secondary school students, 130 more than last year.

These statistics are early indicators, and do not represent final intake numbers for next fall. Applicants will attend only one of their top choices, and universities will not know until late summer how many students to expect in September. Brock typically accepts about 4,000 new students each fall.

Neil McCartney, Brock’s Provost and Vice-President Academic, says the modest growth in applicant demand suggests stability and reputational appeal for the University.

“We know there are fewer high school graduates to recruit,” says McCartney. “Students have more choices, and universities need to work hard to keep their value as a preferred place to attend.

“Against this backdrop, any increase speaks to our reputation for research and programming, experiential learning, exceptional student experience and the career success of our graduates.”

Brock University Registrar Barb Davis says the stability is a positive sign in times of economic and demographic turbulence.

“Our market share of overall applications (in Ontario) remains steady at 3.6 per cent,” says Davis. “We’ve more than held our own, and we will have a strong pool to work with.”

As universities across the country work to convert “top choices” into confirmed applications, the process is well underway at Brock, and an exceptional group of scholars have already been recognized with early offers of admission.