Peabody is the building, Jack is the dog, and I'm Dean J (she/her, btw).

There are years of posts here. The search box works well, but please consider the age of the posts when you find them. The college admission process changes every year!

References to emailing updates to your application are from the years when we didn't have the current applicant portal. Please follow the instructions in your portal to submit all updates.

Welcome to the blog and thanks for reading!

Friday, December 12, 2025

Unofficial 2025-2026 Early Decision Admission Statistics

 Early Decision students, you all gave us some great apps! I smiled a lot, I laughed a bit, and I shed a few tears, too. My favorite essay folder is certainly a little bigger! You're pretty amazing and I look forward to seeing some of you propel UVA forward in the next few years. Now, on to the numbers...

These statistics aren't all that different from last year, so I don't think anyone should be surprised by this data. 

Early Decision Applications

Total number of Early Decision applications: 5,108 (4,971 last year)
Total number of VA apps: 3,077 (2,795)
Total number of OOS apps: 2,031 (2,176)
We use completed applications in our statistics.

Early Decision Offers

Overall offers: 1,225 (1,282)
Total VA offers: 766 (25% offer rate)
Total OOS offers: 459 (23% offer rate)
Averaging these offer rates together is misleading because residency is a major factor in our reviewIf you are going to share these numbers, cite BOTH offer rates and not an average.


A few notes:

1. I do not have additional statistics. I report the data I'm given. We are already immersed in the Early Action review process and I have files to read!

2. Decisions will be posted in the applicant portal around 5pm. You got login credentials back when we received your Common App.

3. Admitted students will get an acceptance packet. It will take a while for us to get those out. I can't really predict when the USPS will get that into your mailbox. 
Your enrollment deposit is due by January 15th.

4. Defer letters have a link to the deferred student website.
 Please go over the information with your parent(s) and counselor. If you'd like to be considered for during the Regular Decision review, complete the reply form in the portal by and upload your semester grades and any other updates when they become available. This takes the place of writing a Letter of Continued Interest (LOCI). Our instructions are clear that updates are uploaded in your portal, not emailed to admission officers. 

5. The Echols, Rodman, and College Science Scholars program invitations will be extended at the end of  the Early Action and Regular Decision processes. Early Decision students will be considered in both of those rounds. Echols and Rodman also allow self-nomination after your first semester.

6. Remember that these numbers are unofficial. Institutional Research and Analytics is the source of all official statistics about UVA. They take a census to determine the final statistics for the class in the fall. I wrote a big post about all the great sources of data last year that you may find helpful.

If you are a reporter, please contact the Office of University Communications for current, official information.

Wednesday, December 10, 2025

An Early Decision Update

 

Early Decision notification will be 
Friday, December 12, 2025 
This is official. Please do not call our office to confirm it. 

What time will decisions show up?

The decisions get posted all at once around 5 PM. There's a technical team that runs through several processes to prepare for the release and load the decisions. I can't predict the exact moment when they will finish their work.

Where are the decisions posted?

You will see a place to review an update in your MyUVA Applicant Portal. You received login credentials for the portal back when you applied. Remember that your applicant portal is different from SIS, which is used for the financial aid process. 

Decisions are not given out by email or phone. Shortly after the decisions are posted in portals, the system emails students if their update hasn't been seen. 

Are there early signs of my decision anywhere?

The portal will look different leading up to the decision release as the technical team does their work. These changes are not tied to your decision.


Are scholar notifications coming?
The first round of review for Echols, Rodman, and College Science Scholars will be completed after the Early Action process in February. A second round will occur in March and decisions will go up after the Regular Decision process is completed. Early Decision students are included in those reviews. 


When will statistics be ready?
As soon as I am given some data to share, I will post it here. 



 This post is about Early Decision. Please consult the chart of dates for other rounds.

Thursday, December 04, 2025

Join Us for Lighting of the Lawn 2025!

When prospective students and parents ask us about our favorite traditions, Lighting of the Lawn tends to be on the list. This is a community event that started after 9/11 to bring some joy to the UVA Grounds. The event has gotten larger and more elaborate over the years with all kinds of dance and vocal performances, a class poem, and a dance party (with a drone show last year!) at the end. 

Here's a 2-minute look at the event, including some behind-the-scenes footage!



This year's Lighting of the Lawn theme is Remix: A Quarter of Century of Light. You can join us via a livestream starting at 7 PM. 

My personal favorite show was in 2014, when we didn't think they'd be able to light of the Rotunda because it was fenced off and covered in scaffolding for a restoration project. There were lights...and then they added more lights...and still more lights. It was amazing!



btw: Don't miss the class poem at 8:40 PM! Yours truly got to read the poem a few years ago along with UVA football coach Tony Elliot, Julie Caruccio (AVP for Research and the mounted Cavalier mascot), and economics professor Ken Elzinga. It was a blast!