Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, March 8, 1991                   TAG: 9103080468
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: A6   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

UNIVERSITY APPLICATIONS ON THE RISE

The increases are coming at a time when college and university presidents have been advised to hold enrollments steady because of Virginia's budget crisis.

Applications are way up at the University of Virginia and Norfolk State University. Also experiencing increases are the College of William and Mary, Virginia Tech, James Madison University and Christopher Newport College.

A few schools - including Old Dominion University, Radford University and Mary Washington College - have had drops in admissions applications.

A UVa study has projected that the number of high school graduates will drop nearly 4 percent in the state this year - from 61,268 to 58,955 - and continue to fall until 1996.

Last month, the State Council of Higher Education told state university presidents to avoid enrollment increases because of budget cuts. As a result, some schools faced with more applicants plan to slightly increase their standards.

Applications have risen 11.3 percent at UVa to 20,102.

At Norfolk State University, the number of applicants has risen 11.4 percent, from 1,975 to 2,200, said Admissions Director Frank Cool.

Applications have declined 14.3 percent at Mary Washington College and 8.5 percent at Radford.

Other increases are: Christopher Newport, 7.6 percent; William and Mary, 2.7 percent; James Madison and Virginia Tech, both 4.6 percent.