By Lindsey Kundel, Editor in Chief, InGenius Prep
Ava pauses at her laptop, unsure if signing up for a college info session will actually help her chances. She wonders if attending events and visiting campuses is worth the effort—or just a waste of time and money. This article will explain when demonstrated interest matters and when it doesn’t, so students like Ava can make informed choices. Understanding this can help you avoid missing opportunities—or wasting time where it won’t make a difference.
You’ve probably heard it from classmates, counselors, or Reddit threads: “Should I bother with that info session? Will visiting campus help me get in?”
Demonstrated interest refers to the ways students show colleges genuine enthusiasm—by visiting campus, attending virtual sessions, opening emails, or asking thoughtful questions about programs. For years, it’s hovered in the gray zone between helpful and hype. Some students see it as an easy way to stand out; others dismiss it as meaningless busywork.
So, does demonstrated interest in college admissions really matter in 2025?
The short answer: yes—but only to some schools, and only when done thoughtfully.
At InGenius Prep, we’ve covered this topic before in Demonstrated Interest in Colleges: How Much Does It Matter? and Common College Admissions Myths Debunked by Former Admissions Officers. Those resources set the stage, but things have changed since 2019.
Today, demonstrated interest isn’t just about campus visits. It’s about data, yield strategy, and the economics of enrollment. Understanding why it matters will help you decide exactly where—and how—to spend your time. Are you feeding the right signals to the system?
What’s Changed—and Why You Should Care in 2025
The role of demonstrated interest has evolved in tandem with the admissions landscape itself. A decade ago, it was mostly about shaking hands at a college fair or taking a tour. In 2025, it’s a measurable data point in an algorithm that predicts which admitted students are most likely to say “yes.”
Many colleges now use customer relationship management (CRM) systems such as Slate to log student engagement—who attends webinars, opens emails, or spends time on a virtual tour page. These interactions feed the same dashboards used to forecast yield and plan financial aid. In other words, demonstrated interest has become both a measure of curiosity and a variable in an institution’s enrollment model.
You can now see where interest counts
Every accredited U.S. college publishes a Common Data Set (CDS) each year—a standardized report showing which factors admissions offices actually consider, including demonstrated interest.
Scroll to Section C7, titled “Level of applicant’s interest.” You’ll see one of four labels: Very Important, Important, Considered, or Not Considered.
That single line tells you whether a college tracks DI at all. If it says “Not Considered,” save your energy—no number of virtual tours will move the needle. If it says “Considered” or higher, you’re looking at a school where genuine engagement can help in close calls.
The sector patterns haven’t changed—but the technology has
Elite universities such as Harvard, Stanford, and Yale and large public flagships like Michigan, Wisconsin, and the UC system still don’t consider demonstrated interest. They receive so many applications that they can safely assume everyone is interested.
But smaller private universities and liberal arts colleges still do—and increasingly, they have the tools to track it. Admissions CRMs can log whether you opened their emails, how long you stayed, and if you clicked through, creating a behavioral engagement record that can inform yield modeling. As Inside Higher Ed noted, “Many colleges now monitor an applicant’s online behavior—whether students open emails, how long they read, and whether they follow links.” Colleges have long weighed actions like visiting campus, applying early, and communicating with recruiters when assessing interest.
So, even if a college claims not to “track DI,” it may still be quietly analyzing behavioral data behind the scenes. Always double-check the most recent Common Data Set to see what’s official—and when in doubt, ask.
Why colleges lean on DI more than ever
While demonstrated interest isn’t about expressing enthusiasm for its own sake, it has become a way for colleges to manage uncertainty.
Over the past decade, yield rates—the share of admitted students who enroll—have slipped. NACAC reports that, in fall 2022, the average yield rate for four-year not-for-profit colleges was 30 %, down from ~36 % in 2014. And according to InGenius Prep internal data, public universities have a median yield of approximately 27.5% while private universities hover around 24%. That means that at many institutions, fewer than one in four admitted students actually arrive on campus, and in some places fewer than one in three admitted students ultimately attendin the fall.
At research universities, the numbers can be even lower. In one Urban Institute study, across 18 research universities, 774,000 applications, 420,000 admits, and 96,000 enrolled were recorded—yielding about 22.9 %.
As Forbes contributor Christopher Rim explains, “A college with a 20% yield must admit five times as many students as it intends to enroll.” That margin of uncertainty creates enormous pressure on budgets, housing, and staffing. Demonstrated interest helps admissions offices forecast yield more accurately—reducing the risk of over- or under-enrollment.
One enrollment manager at a mid-sized liberal arts college explained it this way: “Demonstrated interest has become a forecasting metric, not a personality trait.” That’s the real reason it matters in 2025.
Which colleges track DI—and why it matters for you
Our own InGenius Prep advising data reflects this reality. In our internal reference sheet of more than 100 schools, 21 of 53 national universities and 29 of 51 liberal arts colleges explicitly note that they track demonstrated interest. (We only share this helpful document with students who work with us, so be sure to reach out for a free consultation if you want this type of assistance with your college journey.)
Among national universities, that list includes Boston University, Tulane, Lehigh, Case Western, University of Miami, Villanova, and Wake Forest—all private institutions where yield modeling plays a central role in admissions. Notably, even larger research universities such as Rochester and Georgia Tech track DI to some degree, often through event attendance or applicant portals.
On the liberal arts side, the pattern is even clearer. Colleges like Bates, Colby, Lafayette, Kenyon, Franklin & Marshall, Trinity College, and Washington and Lee all formally consider DI: many host regional information sessions, overnight programs, or interviews to help gauge engagement.
By contrast, elite universities—Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Stanford, MIT, Chicago, and all Ivy League institutions—and major public flagships like Michigan, Virginia, and the UC system do not track DI at all.
Taken together, the pattern is unmistakable: the smaller the school and the more tuition-dependent its enrollment, the more likely it is to care about demonstrated interest. For families and students building their lists, that distinction matters.
How to Know Whether a College Cares
Start with the Common Data Set (C7)—it’s public, quick to find, and surprisingly transparent. Type “[School Name] Common Data Set C7” into Google and scroll to Level of applicant’s interest.
If it says Not Considered, breathe easy. You don’t need to attend every session or flood an admissions inbox to prove your enthusiasm. If it says Considered or higher, plan a few meaningful interactions that show authentic curiosity—without overdoing it.
Admissions websites and FAQs can also provide clues. Some explicitly state that DI isn’t used in decisions. Others emphasize “informed applications,” which usually means they value applicants who’ve done their research.
And remember: policies change. A college that ignored DI in 2022 may start tracking it in 2025 as new software or enrollment pressures come into play.
How to Show Demonstrated Interest Without Overdoing It
When DI counts, the goal isn’t to perform—it’s to connect. Admissions officers can tell when engagement is authentic versus performative.
Register for an official info session and show up prepared. Ask one thoughtful question that connects to your academic or personal interests—something a chatbot couldn’t answer. As one recent applicant shared, “Asking a single question about the neuroscience lab made my ‘Why Us?’ essay write itself.”
Follow up once, politely, with a short thank-you email or reflection. If you’re writing a “Why Us?” essay, mention what you learned during that interaction. You don’t need to collect attendance badges from every virtual tour. One or two high-quality touchpoints per college are enough.
At InGenius Prep, we remind students that DI is most powerful when it’s a natural extension of their research—not a checklist. As one of our Former Admissions Officers puts it, “We never rewarded students for logging in. We rewarded them for paying attention.”
What This Means for Juniors and Seniors
If you’re a junior just starting your research, focus on learning. Build a working college list and note in your spreadsheet whether each school tracks DI. For those that do, attend one or two official sessions and jot down what stands out. Those notes often become the strongest “Why Us?” details later.
If you’re a senior, prioritize your time. Spend energy on schools where DI might help—and where you could genuinely see yourself enrolling. For these schools, attend a fall webinar, send one thoughtful follow-up email, and reference that experience in your essays.
And if you end up on a waitlist? That’s when DI really shines. A short, well-written Letter of Continued Interest—updating your achievements and reaffirming why the college remains your top choice—can make a real difference.
When It Doesn’t Matter
At highly selective institutions such as Harvard, Yale, Stanford, and MIT—and most large public flagships—demonstrated interest is irrelevant. Their yield rates are already sky-high. Everyone already wants to attend.
So don’t waste your energy clicking every link from Harvard’s admissions email. Spend that time refining your essays or preparing for interviews instead.
The Bottom Line
Demonstrated interest is neither a myth nor a magic bullet. It’s a practical reality of modern admissions—a small but meaningful way to show that you’re serious about the schools that are serious about you.
For most students, DI will never outweigh academics, essays, or fit. But at schools that track it, ignoring it entirely can be a mistake.
Ava eventually decided to attend that virtual session—and later wrote her “Why Us?” essay about what she learned there. That one decision didn’t guarantee her admission, but it made her story impossible to overlook.
So check the Common Data Set. Engage where it matters. Be genuine, concise, and let your curiosity show.
At its best, demonstrated interest isn’t about proving devotion—it’s about starting a conversation that might one day lead you home.
Feeling overwhelmed by demonstrated interest and all of the surveilance? Be sure to reach out to our team for your free consultation today. We know it can be a lot to wade through, and our expert counselors are standing by to walk you through whether your dream school uses this type of tracking in their application process.
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