Every year, the public is treated to pictures of thousands of college students going crazy as their school advances in the NCAA Tournament. And every year, high school students see these pictures and decide someday they want to be a part of those thousands.

A Final Four showing increases the school’s national prominence. National prominence increases student interest. And student interest increases applications. So, if history holds true, Syracuse University can expect a rise in next year’s applications.

The biggest increase for SU came in 1987. Not only did the Orangemen lose the basketball tournament game in a heartbreaking, last-moment shot, but the football team played in the Sugar Bowl for the national football championship. Applications increased by 23 percent, said Susan Donovan, SU dean of admissions. After the 1996 Final Four, the increase was, comparatively, a measly 3 percent.

“Most students want to attend a college or university that is well-known,” she said. “They want people to recognize the name when they say it.”

The visibility of a successful sports program adds incentive for prospective freshmen. They can look forward to showing their school pride while enrolled and as alumni for the rest of their lives, Donovan said.

Since SU does not often make the Final Four, its affect on application rates may differ from that of a powerhouse basketball team, such as Duke.

Duke Dean of Undergraduate Admissions Christoph Guttentag agreed that in recent years, Final Four appearances make few ripples in the applicant pool. But in 1987, after making it to that level of the dance for the first time in eight years, applications did rise. Since, applications have steadied as Duke retains national basketball prominence.

“We probably benefited from the increased visibility at that point,” Guttentag said. “From then on, though, Duke’s visibility as a basketball power was fairly strongly cemented. And championships after that didn’t increase our visibility significantly. They’ve helped maintain it, certainly. It’s that first jump from being below the radar, as it were, to being clearly visible, where I think the greatest benefit occurs.”

The University of Maryland made that jump last year when it won the basketball national championship. But Jackie Geter-Hunter, assistant director of Maryland marketing and admissions, was reticent to tag the win as the cause.

“The fact that our basketball team and football team did great did provide prominence,” Geter-Hunter said. “And that definitely plays a role. But we also had new programs that were introduced, like a new arts center. And those could have had an affect on the number of applicants.”

If history holds true, even if SU doesn’t create any new programs, admissions can likely look forward to increased applications next year as more students across the country apply with hopes of someday seeing their faces lit by bonfires on Marshall Street.

Published on April 8, 2003 at 12:00 pm