Assumption University Made Me Think About The Average College Applicant

Published by Stuart Nachbar at May 18, 2026

I found little “wrong” with Assumption in terms of reaching its target market.

The typical student was likely to be from Massachusetts, or at least a neighboring state, and might have shopped this school against regional state colleges and other small Catholic schools in New England. Assumption gets a student who might have looked at a school such as Quinnipiac or Sacred heart, but they or their family might have wanted a more personal touch. However, as of today, Assumption appears on the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) Space Available list. They have room to take more freshmen and transfer students. So, that personal touch will become more important as the school tries to fill its class.

The visit also led me to think about a “typical” college applicant.

Selective admissions and college closings get more attention in the education press than the typical decisions college-bound students make, whether they work with or without an independent admissions advisor. I did a little research to consider who the typical college applicant might be and the schools they might choose.

The average college applicant has an SAT score of 1050 (520 Reading, 530 Math) an ACT score of 19. Such scorers might “reach” and apply test optional to a school that they really like. Assumption University places less importance on test scores than most institutions I have visited.
Their average GPA is a 3.1 that’s more likely unweighted. However, I have rarely seen a school mention an average this low.
Slightly less than 40 percent have taken an advanced placement course during their high school education. Within Massachusetts, home to Assumption, this percentage is nearly half (48%) according to the College Board. However, it would be fair for me to state that Assumption attracts students who might have less rigor on a transcript than UMass-Amherst students, among others.

The admissions marketing effort is likely to be different than it is at more selective schools.

My visit to Assumption showed me that the marketing is more targeted and personalized that I have seen at a flagship like UMass-Amherst or Rutgers-New Brunswick as well as other schools that have stronger brand recognition. Assumption sold attention, smallness and accessibility to academic programs that are difficult to find or tougher to gain admission at higher profile schools. There’s more of an effort towards trying to meet student aspirations in a one-to-one conversation than I would see at a public college or a more selective private one.

Will the marketing approach last?

It depends.

Within Massachusetts, as one example, most of the growth in public college and university enrollment is in the community college system, not in the state colleges or the UMass campuses.

Massachusetts is also a state where seven private colleges have closed or were acquired by larger institutions since 2018 These are Anna Maria University Atlantic Union College, Becker College, Hampshire College, Pine Manor College, Mount Ida College and Wheelock College. Among these schools Anna Maria University was probably the most similar to Assumption in terms of academic options. It would be prudent to ask about career successes of recent graduates in the student’s fields of interest. Assumption, as one example, publishes student outcomes data to help.

It’s really hard for a school to succeed in a state where the number of potential students is falling. Assumption bucks the downside a bit. It has retained around 80 percent, sometimes slightly more, of a freshman class each year. The university reports a four-year graduation rate of 70 percent. Those are better numbers than I saw for any Massachusetts public institution, excluding Massachusetts Maritime Academy and UMass-Amherst. Parents who do a quick Google under ‘Assumption University Financial Picture’ would find that the school is financially stable, though they would be wise to ask this of the admissions officers they visit.

One might think that a student who might look at a school like Assumption who has fairly average grades and little to no rigor on the transcript is less likely to work with an independent admissions advisor than someone who is seeking admission to the more selective colleges. That’s false.

An independent advisor can help such students more by walking them and their family through the differences between colleges and help them to feel confident that the schools they approach and choose are likely to leave them better off tafter they graduate. A good advisor listens, considers the student’s situation and family finances to develop a list of their potential “good colleges.” Assumption has proven to be one for some students from New England.